Bafana chase flying start against Mali
Bafana Bafana will be desperate to start their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) soccer campaign with a bang when they face Mali at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, today (10pm).
But they will have to show some serious mettle to overcome Mali as they have failed to get results in their last two meetings against the same opponents in the tournament.
The previous games saw Mali emerge victorious, with both triumphs coming at the quarterfinals stage.
Mali won 2-0 in 2002 and on penalties at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in 2013 after the match finished 1-1.
Also, Mali have never lost an opening game at Afcon, winning seven and drawing five, and they come into this tournament in impressive form.
They have won four of their last five matches, including their 6-2 thumping of GuineaBissau in their preparation game before Afcon.
SA’s warm-up for Afcon saw them play out a 0-0 draw with Lesotho on Wednesday.
Bafana Bafana were also in action in World Cup qualifiers in November, with a 2-1 win over Benin followed by a 2-0 loss at the hands of Rwanda.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos highlighted the importance of making a perfect start in the competition to set the tone for the other matches in Group E.
“We are looking forward to playing. We are aware that we have a tough opponent with Mali,” Broos said yesterday.
“On the other hand, we believe in our chances and I hope that we will achieve our best level so we can win the game because it is very important for a tournament like this that we can start with a victory.”
Striker Percy Tau also admitted that they faced a tough battle against Mali, but said that they planned to do something special in the tournament and wanted to start on a positive note.
“Most of the players are used to travelling and playing outside the country.
“We have handled everything quite well and we are looking forward to the game,” Tau said.
“The pitch is great. We saw it in the morning [yesterday]. We are playing against a difficult side.
“Our group is difficult. We have Namibia and Tunisia, so we are looking forward to those matches.
“We do believe in ourselves. We are not overconfident.
“We are grounded, but that does not take away we believe we can do something special. “
SA will have to look out for Yves Bissouma, who has been influential for Mali.
Mali coach Éric Chelle has warned they are out to earn respect, starting against SA.
“The football world laughs at Malian football.
“So I told my players to stop making them laugh and show who we are,” he said. —