Mphahlele: we have to finish qualifiers on a high
RAMAHLWE Mphahlele wants Bafana Bafana to complete their Afcon 2017 qualification on a positive note tonight by exacting revenge for their first round defeat to Mauritania.
The team have not forgotten how Mauritania derailed their plans in the qualifiers when they sprung a surprise 3-1 victory back in September last year – a result that dented Bafana Bafana’s chances of going to Gabon next year.
Mphahlele was not part of that match, but believes it was not a clash South Africa should have lost.
“I watched the match against Mauritania and I feel we did not deserve to lose against them as I believe we are bigger than them,” he said.
“Now they are coming into our home, we must win and move on to the next game. Even though we know we are not playing to qualify for Afcon, this is good preparation for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
“We have the advantage as we are playing in front of our fans and I don’t see anything stopping us from beating them.”
The defender adds that there is also a bigger picture for getting positive results.
“This is a very important game for the country, remember we lost to Mauritania 3-1 and we want to reverse the results, and also we are preparing for the World Cup qualifiers. So we need to win so that we have the momentum and the confidence to tackle the qualifiers,” he added.
“We had a good game against Gambia, most of the guys who were in that match are here and we still have the confidence, so we believe that we can carry the performance of that match into this game.
“We want to close these qualifiers with a win, which will be our second victory in the qualifiers.”
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns winger Keagan Dolly is unlikely to feature tonight.
Dolly has missed training since his arrival in Nelspruit because he is undergoing treatment on his hamstring injury.
He was able to take part in the warm-up sessions on Wednesday and yesterday, but still did not get anywhere near the gruelling football sessions on both days.
“All the players are ready to play except Keagan Dolly who still has a problem with his hamstring. I don’t want to preempt but I had a chat with the team doctor and Dolly remains very doubtful to play against Mauritania.
“We may consider him for the next match against Egypt but even then we don’t want to rush him, we want to give him time, especially, looking at the heavy schedule at his club,” said Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba.
But Mashaba is facing another big challenge.
“The boys were buzzing at training and we are sitting with a problem of who to play or not to play. But that’s a positive for us and we would rather have that than be with a group of players we are not happy with from what we have seen at training,” added Mashaba.
While Bafana Bafana are out of the running for a spot in Gabon, Mashaba also says he would like to finish the qualifi- ers on a high. He is also aware that the visitors could pose a serious threat because they still stand a chance of qualifying for the 2017 African soccer showpiece.
“Yes, we would like to end off with a win that will give us nine points in the qualifiers which will still not take us anywhere. But we know that this will not be an easy game because Mauritania come here with high hopes of qualifying. They will not be like sheep to the slaughter but we are ready for them,” said Mashaba.
Meanwhile goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune says the 3-1 loss South Africa suffered at the hands of Mauritania is water under the bridge.
In that same match, Khune’s error led to the first goal, but he has grown from it. “I think that it is a goalkeeper’s life to commit errors, so you can learn from them. Since I committed that mistake I have grown a lot, and it has built my charac- ter. I believe I have improved as a goalkeeper because every game I play I don’t want to make the same mistake,” says Khune.
“All matches for the national team are important to us because as players we need to play our hearts out and make the country proud. Also, this is the preparation for the upcoming 2018 Russia World Cup qualifiers in October and November, so we can’t take anything for granted.” – ANA