It's difficult to see how Bafana Bafana can still qualify for next year's World Cup after two consecutive defeats to Cape Verde, but defender Morgan Gould is not throwing in the towel yet.

Bafana Bafana went down 2-1 to the islanders in both home and away encounters in the past six days.

Making their way out of the dressing room at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban after the return leg on Tuesday, Bafana resembled a battered, defeated side.

Right-back Ramahlwe Mphahlele, for instance, was limping, and as the players made their way to their bus, no word was being uttered.

Gould, in an interview with the Sowetan, insisted that this was not a sign of giving up.

"Like any defeat, you look at what you could have done, would have done and should have done, but it's all gone," said Gould, 34, who earned his 28th cap after replacing suspended Mulomowandau Mathoho in the heart of defence.

"We just have to lift our heads. Obviously, we are all down because we did so much but they got their opportunities and scored.

"Everyone was confident that we were going to do well, but that's the way football goes," Gould reflected.

Group D, which also includes leaders Burkina Faso and Cape Verde - both on six points, is still wide open after four matches played .

Senegal follow in third with five, while Bafana are bottom of the standings with four points.

Bafana's next match is against Burkina Faso at home early next month and they will finish off against Senegal away in November.

Gould won't give up without a fight. "The result between Burkina Faso and Senegal favours us in a sense that it keeps us in the race, but we should not be concerned with other people," said Gould.

"We are most definitely capable of bouncing back. We've got the best players in the country. So why not," he added.

Cape Verde coach Lucio Antunes, however, warned that "we are as good as any of the teams in our group. We are all equal. We set out to win all the games just like the others do.