Sense of relief for hosts

By Mark Gleeson

BLOEMFONTEIN (Reuters) - Hosts South Africa expressed a sense of relief at reaching the Confederations Cup semi-finals despite being outplayed by Spain and losing 2-0 in their final group match on Saturday.

"For us it's great relief and it's history too for us to make the semi-finals of a competition like this," captain Aaron Mokoena said after the match, which saw Spain finish top of Group A with nine points and South Africa second with four.

"It's a good feeling to get to the semi-final but there are mixed feelings too after the loss. But we were beaten by a big country with good players.

"Getting to the semi-finals is a big positive and is encouraging and shows we have some direction," he told Reuters.

South Africa came runners-up after Iraq failed to beat New Zealand in Johannesburg which finished goalless.

"There is a sense of relief but we have qualified and that was our goal," said midfielder Steven Pienaar.

"Spain are not ranked number one for nothing and it showed we still have a lot to learn. It was a great experience for us.

"This is a good challenge for us as we prepare for the World Cup," he added.