Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar says South Africa must be proud of their performance in their 1-1 draw with Mexico in their World Cup opener, reports the Toffees official website. And the Blues' Player of the Season says the team should be happy with the result, considering 10 of their starting XI have never played in a World Cup before.

"It was the first game, the opening game and it's normal that there's a lot of pressure," said Pienaar.

"I'm happy with the way it went. The first 20 minutes we were a bit nervous. It's normal because if you look at our team it's only Aaron (Mokoena) who's played in a World Cup.

"For the other 10 players it was our first game in a World Cup but we're quite satisfied with the way it went."