Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter says star forward Percy Tau was not his usual dangerous attacking presence because he did defensive duties against Ghana.
Tau was involved in the friendly international against the Black Stars but produced little in the final third as the encounter ended 0-0 last Saturday in Dubai.
Bafana fielded two different teams in the contest of which Tau took part in Baxter’s Team One.
The Englishman told reporters: “I’m always impressed with Percy because his attitude is spot on. We asked him to play a slightly different role today and our midfield players and defenders did not defend the way we wanted them to, which meant Percy got dragged back.
“So in the second half we defended better further up the field and therefore people like Themba Zwane and [Lebohang] Maboe were dangerous further up the field. That’s what we wanted from him.”
The national team have left Dubai for Egypt where the Africa Cup of Nations will take place.
Bafana have one more preparation match remaining when they take on Angola on Wednesday. South Africa’s first game in the AFCON is against Ivory Coast on 24 June.