Party pooper: Diego Forlan scored two and set up the other for uruguay against hosts South Africa

The vuvuzela has been muted. Having had a public holiday to await the game that should have taken their team to the brink of the second round, South Africa awakes on Thursday morning to the sobering realisation that Bafana Bafana may very well be evicted form their own party on Tuesday.

They will need victory against France in Bloemfontein but, depending on the result between Raymond Domenech’s side and Mexico on Thursday, even that might not even be enough. Furthermore they will have to do it without the influential holding midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi and Itumeleng Khune, the goalkeeper, both of whom are suspended.

Diego Forlan was the inspiration for a professional Uruguay, who eased past a desperately insipid Bafana Bafana. You knew there was trouble when the vuvuzelas went quiet. As Forlan’s shot nestled in the net an eerie hush fell over the Loftus Versfeld stadium. This was not what was supposed to happen.

Bafana had started nervously, just as they did against Mexico on the opening day in Soccer City. And just as in that game, they struggled to cope with the fluid attacking formation as Oscar Tabarez promoted a third striker, Edinson Cavani, to the starting line-up. Uruguay were menacing. Just a minute before Forlan scored, Luis Suarez wriggled past Bongani Khumalo - not for the first time - and shot into the side-netting.

Forlan got lucky with the goal itself. Diego Perez passed to the Atletico Madrid striker midway in the South African half and he turned, teed himself up, and struck the ball ferociously at goal. His shot clipped Aaron Mokoena’s shoulder - should he have got closer? - and the deflection put serious dip on the ball and it looped over the head of the helpless Khune.

The crowd, wrapped up for another night that was plunging towards zero, tried to rally the team but they were struggling to cope with Uruguay’s physically intimidating tactics. Katlego Mphela, the lone striker, was too easily bullied by the Uruguay centre backs, Diego Lugano and Diego Godin, while Jorge Fucile slammed Teko Modise to the turf with an off-the-ball body-check.

As with the Mexico game, Carlos Alberto Parreira needed to shake his charges up at half-time. They emerged before Uruguay and Mokoena got them in a huddle to delvier what looked an impassioned speech. They had 45 minutes to lift the nation. They failed.

The pattern of the first-half resumed. Forlan sent in a series of dangerous set-pieces - South Africa in their impatience were giving away too many cheap free-kicks - and from one angled delivery Lugano managed to completely mis-timed what was a clear header.

South Africa were losing what little composure they had left. Dikgacoi had already been booked - ruling him out for France - for slamming into the back of Luis Suarez in the first half when he went recklessly in on Maxi Pereira. He just got a toe to the ball but then crunched the Uruguay right-back. Massimo Busacca, perhaps elated at his compatriots’ earlier triumph, was indulgent.

With 66 minutes played, Bafana created their first, and only, proper chance. Siboniso Gaxa delivered an excellent cross to the near post for Mphela, who had slipped free of his Uruguayan handlers for once. Despite goalkeeper Fernando Muslera committed to a punch he could not steer his header goalwards. Still it was better than nothing.

At the other end, they were fortunate not to go further behind. The outstanding Forlan curved in a perfect cross for Cavani but the Palermo striker took a hurried swipe and completely failed to make proper contact.

It was merely disaster deferred for Bafana. With 15 minutes to go that hush descended again. After Forlan’s shot had deflected into the area, Khune came flying out in anticipation of a Suarez shot but the prolific Ajax striker merely touched the ball away from him. Khune’s boot clipped Suarez’s. Penalty. The Uruguay striker had dived earlier and practically did the splits this time. But it was a penalty nonetheless.

To make matters worse Khune was sent-off - Busacca had no choice - and Steven Pienaar, who had been surprisingly quiet, was taken off so that Moneeb Josephs, the back-up goalkeeper could come on. Not even a wall of vuvuzela noise could put off Forlan. He brought the stadium - bar a pocket of delirious Uruguayans, to near-silence.

The 10 men of South Africa needed to hold out as goal-difference could well be a factor in deciding who goes through. They failed in that modest task, though, Alvaro Pereira heading in Suarez’s lobbed cross in stoppage time.