Extra Time: It may take a miracle but Bafana Bafana can beat Africa’s number one team, writes Michael Madyira.
When Bafana Bafana edged Morocco 2-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June 2023, it was a dead rubber.
Both teams had already qualified for Afcon.
Nothing much was at stake and it was not a high-pressure game as Bafana coach Hugo Broos said he viewed the match as a friendly to start preparing for the Afcon tournament.
Even when Morocco lost, they never took it as a train smash despite being Africa’s number one ranked team.
The Atlas Lions are still the continent’s best team and they face South Africa again on Tuesday at Stade Laurent Pokou in Ivory Coast.
But this time around, there is a lot to play for. It is the Afcon Round of 16 and the loser will head home.
Morocco would want to justify their status as the top-ranked team in Africa as they also battle for their first Afcon title since 1976.
Their Cosafa opponents are pushing to break a 28-year continental trophy drought.
After playing three group games each, both teams now know where they stand in terms of tactics, mentality and various aspects of their game.
While Bafana managed a convincing 4-0 victory over Namibia and drew 0-0 with Tunisia, the 2-0 defeat by Mali exposed a few issues Bafana always have to watch out for.
Their number nines continue to fire blanks and they need to pull up their socks against Morocco who are solid at the back after conceding just once in the group phase.
Despite scoring four goals against the Brave Warriors, South Africa’s creativity in midfield is still a concern and Broos needs to be tactically sharper on Tuesday.
However, there are some positives the team should build on.
To get past the Atlas Lions, Bafana should maintain the mental fortitude they showed in rising from a potentially morale-sapping loss to Mali to avoiding defeat against Namibia and Tunisia.
Also commendably, Broos’s men have managed to keep clean sheets in their last two games and such defensive discipline will be crucial on Tuesday in the face of a Moroccan attack that scored five goals in the last round.
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana forward Evidence Makgopa being closely tracked by Tunisia’s Ellyes Skhiri and Anis Ben Slimane.
Image source: Bafana Bafana
