South Africa still have a faint chance of qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup after a 2-1 quarter-final loss to Morocco in Rabat knocked them out of Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) contention, but appear to have been stripped of the identity that gave them their first title four years ago.
Desiree Ellis' side have always been somewhat tactically flexible, rather than rigid, and that persists. However, a team that once ruled Africa by virtue of an almost impregnable defence and the ability to keep carving out chances when the chips were down is now severely blunted at both ends.
The clearest sign of this in their quarter-final defeat to Morocco was the period of approximately 15 minutes either side of half-time. The Atlas Lionesses picked Banyana's defensive line apart relentlessly with balls into the box from deep and offered very little in the way of opportunities on the counter.
Banyana had been building momentum until just after the half-hour mark, when Sakina Ouzraoui's deft right-footed volley off a Hanane Aït El Haj cross from deep diverted the ball past Kaylin Swart for the opening goal.
Banyana looked shellshocked thereafter and another ball into the danger area almost caught them out only minutes later. Swart's punch away was not clean and Ghizlane Chebbak attempted to lob her, but missed.
After half-time, South Africa played with urgency - but not cool heads, as they promptly allowed frustration to spill over and conceded a penalty via Noxolo Cesane's foul. El Haj dispatched the spot-kick into the top corner.
Banyana finally came to life in the last quarter of the game, with Thembi Kgatlana once again the player to ignite the late surge. The Tigres UANL forward got on the end of a long ball from Karabo Dhlamini, timing her run in behind perfectly, and slotted past Khadija Er-Rmichi with South Africa's first shot on target in the 67th minute.
However, the half-hour in which they had been completely devoid of answers had ultimately left them with a task which proved insurmountable against a well-organised Atlas Lionesses side.
Statistically, there is one immediately obvious difference between this side and the one that won Banyana their first WAFCON title four years ago - ironically in Rabat: they conceded three goals across six games then, and have already let in six across four matches this time out.
What does not immediately present itself on the scoreboard is how much more enterprising and adaptable they were going forward then than they have been at this year's tournament.
Even an early injury to star striker Kgatlana in 2022, which cut her tournament short, could not stop them from grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. At this tournament, there have only been brief passages in all four of their games in which they really looked like creating anything of substance.
Had it not been for Kgatlana's three goals (out of a total of five for Banyana at this tournament), it is highly unlikely that they would have stood any chance of qualifying for the World Cup at all by now.
Banyana will face the loser of Sunday's clash between Cameroon and Nigeria on Thursday in Casablanca with a place in the Inter-Confederation playoff tournament at stake.
The winner of that fixture will have, by then, already faced Morocco on Wednesday in the semi-finals.
While Ellis' side can still create problems for any team on their day, it is Jorge Vilda's that are currently far better organised and tougher to beat over the course of the full 90 minutes -- and their place in the last four, and thus at the World Cup, at South Africa's expense is no accident.