Bafana loss to France shows 'gap is big compared to PSL and Europe' - Lakay

Bafana Bafana defender Lyle Lakay admits the experience of testing himself against France showed the "big gap" between playing in the Premier Soccer League and Europe.

South Africa toured the continent for the first time in a decade and played out to a goalless against Guinea in Belgium before their 5-0 thumping at the hands of the world champions.

"The level is higher, and it was evident that the gap is big compared to PSL and Europe," Lakay told Bafana's media department.

"They (France) are always a second or two quicker than us, and that makes a huge difference. It was a lesson, and we can gain from the experience, irrespective of the result."

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The 30-year-old Lakay was one of the players Bafana fans protested about on social media as he has put in sterling performances for Mamelodi Sundowns but never received the backing of Hugo Broos or previous mentor Molefi Ntseki.

The former Cape Town City left-back made his debut against São Tomé and Príncipe in November 2020 and never got a national call up until now.

But Lakay's performances for Sundowns could no longer be ignored, and Broos included the speedster in the Bafana squad.

"We watch them on TV, and for myself, even though we are not on their level, you can see how far you can go," Lakay continued as he explained the tactical intelligence of the French side.

"There were even moments where I found myself in situations where it was two versus one or where my side of the field was overloaded.

"For example, in the beginning, it was me and the wingback (Jonathan) Clauss, and then you got (Antoinne) Griezmann, who probably identified the space in front of me, behind our midfield.

"In Africa, it is not