After being written off before the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers kicked off last weekend, Bafana Bafana suddenly find themselves in a position to push for a place in next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Four points from their first two matches – against Sudan and African champions Nigeria – is a dream start for new coach Shakes Mashaba and his band of youngsters.
Congo lead Group A with six points following successive victories over Nigeria and Sudan.
South Africa take on the Red Devils in back-to-back matches next month, which could determine Bafana’s fate.
But they could have been on six points as well had they been a bit more clinical in front of goal during their 0-0 draw against Nigeria at a bitterly cold Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday night.
This young Bafana team have shown they have the temperament to cope with the physical demands of playing against players who are bigger and stronger than them. But against Nigeria, they showed they still need that killer instinct in the final third to hurt good teams.
Bafana punished Sudan in their own backyard with three lovely goals. But the Falcons of Jediane aren’t quite in the same league as the Super Eagles, though. In fact, Sudan are going to struggle to score a goal in this group, never mind securing a point.
Bafana got into great positions against the West African giants in the second half when Tokelo Rantie danced his way past a few Super Eagles defenders.
The English-based player, who came on for the injured Bongani Ndulula at half-time, is gifted with speed and found himself one-on-one with Nigerian captain and goalkeeper Austine Ejide. However, he didn’t bury the chance which would have given Bafana a famous victory over their bitter rivals.
Sibusiso Vilakazi, who scored a brace in the 3-0 win over Sudan, also made a few determined runs on Wednesday. But his option-taking let him down and he came across as somewhat selfish, although he must be brimming with self-belief at the moment.
“What worked for us is pace. If we can get out of our danger zone we can employ our skills. In one-on-one situations, South Africans are good, you can’t stop them,” Mashaba said.
“The only problem is finishing. But that is a world wide phenomenon. It’s not easy training people to score goals. It’s all about the individual, because situations are different. But we can work with the players, though.”
The midfield pairing of Dean Furman and Andile Jali is going from strength to strength. And they battled hard against the beasts of Nigeria, including one John Obi Mikel who cut a frustrated figure sitting in Furman’s pocket.
Jali, though, is showing the maturity that is going to take his game to the next level. Everybody knows the technical skills he is blessed with, but lapses in concentration have always let him down. Mashaba, though, thinks he is ready to take that next step in his career.
“Andile is a good player. There are times when he doesn’t even switch on, and the pace of the game leaves him behind. But he was on the right, in the middle and in the centre against Nigeria,” Mashaba said. “He was even in the opposition’s box, and I’m sure if he had a chance he would have finished it. He deserved to be Man of the Match.”
Mashaba also praised his back four after their second clean sheet in a row.
Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thabo Matlaba, Eric Mathoho and Anele Ngcongca have never played together before the match against Sudan. They looked a bit shaky in the opening stanza in the heat in Khartoum, but have since been soldiers at the back.
“That is a booster on it’s own, especially the one in Sudan. That was not an easy game, it was tough,” the Bafana coach said. “That is why I said we shouldn’t make big changes in that department. We want them to gel and understand each other. In the second half they were like a team who have been together for the past six months. Building from your own 18-area with one touch, that really thrilled me.” - The Star