It will now be Morocco and not South Africa who meet Algeria in a quarterfinal in Sfax on Sunday.

An unconvincing 2-0 win against newcomers Benin in their first match followed by the humiliation against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Monastir set the alarm bells off and drove reality home that Bafana Bafana were not ready to compete at this tournament.

Going out in the first round is the worst performance ever by the South Africans - champions in 1996 and runners-up two years later - who had never failed to reach the quarterfinals in their four previous Nations Cup appearances. But the outcome merely served to mirror all the unpleasant off-the-field events, which without doubt distracted the team.

Against Morocco, the Bafana Bafana technical team made three changes - two of them forced through injuries - with goalkeeper Andre Arendse, defender Neil Winstanley and Teboho Mokoena coming into the equation for Emile Baron, John Moshoeu and Benson Mhlongo respectively.

It was not a performance to be ashamed of, as Bafana took the game to Morocco from the word go and created several chances that could have changed matters had they found the target. But it was always going to be tough, as Bafana needed to win by four clear goals without conceding any, and hope for an unlikely Benin win against Nigeria in Sfax.

With Morocco seemingly content on securing a draw, Kaizer Chiefs striker Patrick Mayo lit up the game and gave Bafana a glimmer of hope with a well-taken goal on the half-hour mark.

Denmark-based winger Sibusiso Zuma had won possession in his own half and paced across the field before handing over to Siyabonga Nomvete. The Italy-based striker did not waste time, as he whipped in a good ball. Morocco keeper Khalid Fouami fumbled and Mayo pounced.

It appeared the news of Bafana taking the lead had filtered through in Sfax as Nigeria put one past Benin five minutes later. Now it was back to square one as Bafana found themselves in the same position as they did before kick-off.

Frustration and perhaps panic started to set in for Bafana, with Winstanley conceding a penalty seven minutes before the break. The lanky Wits defender was beaten for pace and, as he tried to avert danger, brought down striker Jaoud Zairi. Coventry City’s Youssef Safri restored parity from the spot and it was now a real uphill battle for Bafana.

Bafana had to be cautious in their attack, as there was always a danger they could be caught square in counter-attacks. It was unclear why mobile ball players Jabu Pule and Stanton Fredericks were left on the bench in such a situation. Pule did come on later in the game - with only nine minutes to go - and his arrival did little to change matters.

For Morocco it was a double delight as they eliminated their 2010 World Cup bid rivals while securing their own passage to the last eight. As for Bafana, the best thing would be to dismantle the entire squad and the technical team and start afresh.