Mekoa's teammate at club and national level Kwanda Mngonyama was caught flat-footed for two of the goals conceded against Senegal, first when he was outpaced and brought down Ibrahima Keita to concede a penalty and then when he didn’t get tight enough to Sidy Sarr, who held him off and turned from a simple throw-in to seal the result.
South Africa are propping up Group A after Zambia lost 2-1 to North African side Tunisia in their first game, and it is now vital that Owen da Gama's side beat Zambia on Tuesday to keep their hopes of progressing to the next stage alive.
“Everything will come right for the team,” Mekoa, who came on in the second half against Senegal, tells snl24.com/kickoff.
“Yes, it is a lot of pressure on us because we have to qualify for Rio [Olympic Games next year] and we know it won't be easy against Zambia, but we will go out there and play and we will qualify for the next stage [by winning the next two games].”
Da Gama’s side will have their last training session later today in Dakar ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Zambia, where a loss would shatter dreams of a semi-final spot.
Kick-off time at the Leopold Senghor Stadium in Dakar is 17h00 South African time.