Please keep it in your own hands

Bafana Bafana gave a performance to revive the spirits, as well as their goal difference, against Namibia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. Now it is up to Hugo Broos’ men to make the most of a fine display and get the required result against Tunisia tomorrow to get them through to the last-16.

It is too easy to dismiss Namibia as weak opposition when talking about Bafana’s 4-0 win in Korhogo.

After all, this is a Brave Warriors side that stunned Tunisia 1-0 in their opening Group E match.

In truth, Bafana played with a similar purpose and energy to that which they had shown in the first-half of their 2-0 defeat to Mali, only this time they took the opportunities that came their way.

Percy Tau’s skied penalty in the opening game was directly opposed by a clinical finish from the spot from the same player against Namibia.

Bafana could have been 3-0 up against Mali at half-time, and this time they were 3-0 up against the Brave Warriors at the break, as Themba Zwane showed exactly why he has become indispensible to head coach Hugo Broos. Against any team, a record Africa Cup of Nations victory is not to be sniffed at.

Given Bafana’s standing in the continental game at the moment, it is even fair to say that Broos’ side have performed above themselves in the Ivory Coast up to now.

Four years ago in Egypt, Stuart Baxter’s Bafana only scraped past Namibia 1-0 in the group stages, and only got into the knockout rounds by the skin of their teeth, losing their other group matches to the Ivory Coast and Morocco.

Bafana went on to stun hosts Egypt in the last-16, but Broos will no doubt hope for more comfortable passage from Group E, and

Bafana’s fate is firmly in their own hands.

Tunisia are, on paper, a better side than Bafana, but they have not been at their best so far in the Ivory Coast, outclassed by Namibia, though they did bounce back reasonably well with a point against Mali.

Only a victory over Bafana will be enough for Tunisia to make the last-16, and this could actually work in Bafana’s favour. The longer Broos’ men can at the very least keep the scores level, the more desperate the Carthage Eagles are likely to become, leaving space at the back for the likes of Zwane and Tau to exploit.

Bafana will also know that a point could get them a place in the last-16, depending on the result between Mali and Namibia. If Mali beat or draw with Namibia, a point will definitely be enough for South Africa, and they would be remiss not to at least be kept abreast of what is happening in that game.

With four places available in the last-16 to the best third-place finishers in the group, even a defeat could be enough to get Bafana through, but then we are firmly in the realm of calculators.

Let’s hope we don’t need to pull those out. Bafana have shown enough so far at this Afcon to suggest it will not be necessary.