Extra Time: Bafana Bafana don’t look confident about going through to the Afcon knockout stages, writes Michael Madyira.
When Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos named his starting XI ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group E opener against Mali on Tuesday, his team looked balanced.
On paper, South Africa looked strong and they seemed likely to snap away the three points on offer from the Eagles.
But it became a different story the moment the referee blew the first whistle.
There was a lack of creativity in the middle of the park with lone striker Evidence Makgopa being starved of clean balls.
Bafana forwards rarely shook the Mali defence, bringing to the fore how Broos was not tactically sound.
Things became worse when Percy Tau missed a penalty in the 19th minute.
It was a huge test of character for Bafana to see if they would have been able to shake off the confidence-sapping incident but they didn’t react well.
Morale dropped and they couldn’t pick themselves up after Tau’s missed penalty.
Great character is measured at such major tournaments where a team rises above such setbacks or melts under pressure.
After Tuesday’s result, Broos and his men are left in a must-win situation when they face tricky neighbours Namibia on Sunday.
They come up against a super-confident Namibia who stunned odds favourites Tunisia earlier on Tuesday.
Now the biggest question is: Can Bafana be trusted on both Sunday and in their final group game against Tunisia?
Is it worth it for their fans to have hopes that South Africa will reach the knockouts after these critical fixtures?
After disappointing on Tuesday, few fans would invest their confidence in this Afcon team.
But for some who have been closely following Bafana under Broos, they could still be expecting positive results, knowing that this is an unpredictable team.
For the better part of Broos’s tenure, Bafana have been inconsistent and have carved themselves a reputation of blowing hot and cold.
Certainly, Namibia does not know what to expect on Sunday and neither does Tunisia, whom they meet on 24 January.
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau against Mali.
Image source: SAFA
