South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira believes his side will be more confident going into tomorrow's potentially crucial World Cup showdown with Uruguay having got their first game under their belts.
The pressure was on the host nation heading into Friday's curtain-raiser against Mexico and nerves looked to play a part as they struggled to get the ball off their dominant opponents in the first half.
However, the Bafana Bafana improved after the break and, having secured a 1-1 draw in that match, Parreira believes they are now in a better frame of mind heading into their second Group A fixture in Pretoria.
'I believe the most difficult game for us was the first one,' he said. The whole world was watching and the pressure was there.
'After we played the first game we felt more confident, even though we are now playing against a very good team like Uruguay, who have lots of players playing for the big teams in Europe. They have a lot of experience.'
With both pool matches finishing in draws on the opening day there is little to separate the four nations heading into the second round of games, with France meeting Mexico in the other match.
A victory at this stage would give the winner a major boost heading into the final games and, although Parreira knows nothing will be decided in terms of progression to the next phase, he believes tomorrow's game could be crucial.
'Now it's going an open game for us and for them because it's so tight. Those teams who want to qualify have to win at least one of the two games,' he said.
'It's very clear for everyone - for us, for France, for Mexico, for Uruguay. We've got to win one of the two games left or else it's going to be very difficult to qualify.
'Whoever wins tomorrow isn't guaranteed to go through. These two draws leave the competition open to the final round.'
