Go for it, Bafana

A loss to Namibia tonight will spell disaster ahead of the final group match against Tunisia on Wednesday

Bafana Bafana have never lost to Namibia at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) — and this is a record they cannot afford to lose tonight.

South Africa play Namibia in a crucial make-or-break clash whose result — if a Bafana defeat — will have doomsday ramifications for their Afcon campaign underway in Ivory Coast.

The group E contest between the southern African neighbours will be their third at Africa’s major showpiece. Bafana emerged triumphant in 1998 when South Africa’s alltime top scorer Benni McCarthy banged four in a 4-1 bashing of the Brave Warriors in Burkina Faso, and Bongani Zungu’s solitary strike separated the two sides in Egypt in 2019.

Bafana boss Hugo Broos is under no illusion, he knows only a victory at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium will salvage a dire situation after the disappointment of losing 2-0 to Mali in the opener on Tuesday.

Tonight, their business is to keep alive their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. “We had nearly five days to recover from that, and what I saw yesterday at training, I know the boys are ready again to play a tough game. We have to win that game; we still have chances to go to the group stages. We know that. We are confident,” said Broos on Friday.

“We were very disappointed on Tuesday after the defeat against Mali because we didn’t play a bad game. We were the better team in the first half. We had three good chances to score, and we missed a penalty. So, when you lose a game like that, the disappointment was big.”

Namibia’s tails are up; the Brave Warriors have been buoyed by their historic win against third-ranked Tunisia. Making their fourth Afcon appearance, they will trek to the pitch with their tails up following their first-ever Afcon win in the 10th time of asking, upsetting the north Africans 1-0.

“Namibia won against Tunisia and something extra for this game, it’s a game between two neighbours,” said the Belgian mentor, “a team who is composed of many players who are playing in South Africa and will try to beat us. We know that it will be a tough game. But it’s a game that we will have to win. The morale is good.

“Everybody was really down, because we had a good feeling. But when you lose you know the next game will be crucial. I repeat, we played a good game. Mali took advantage of our mistakes two times, and the game was finished. We are now ready to go for it again.”

Deon Hotto of Orlando Pirates scored for Namibia on Monday, the first time they didn’t concede at Afcon. Bafana have twice fired blanks — in the warm-up match against Lesotho, and against Mali.

But right-back Khuliso Mudau is bracing for a fight and is not worried by Bafana’s lack of goals. “Everyone is motivated to play tomorrow’s game. We know the (Namibian) players. I hope it’s going to be a good match,” he said.

“Everybody is motivated. It won’t be an easy game. It will be a fight. They will come with the spirit of wanting to beat us. We also need to fight to give them a fight. I’m confident we can win the game. We’ve been practising shooting at training, and I can’t say it is a concern.”

Peter Shalulile is the most potent weapon in the Namibia arsenal. The striker will come up against a backline consisting of his Mamelodi Sundowns teammates in goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, centre-back Mothobi Mvala and left-back Aubrey Modiba.

We have to win that game; we still have chances to go to the group stages. We know that. We are confident

Hugo Broos

Bafana Bafana coach

Siyanda Xulu partnered with Mvala on Tuesday. It will be interesting if Broos will not replace him with Grant Kekana.

Upfront Percy Tau will seek to atone for his penalty miss. Bafana must convert their chances. There is no section for playing pretty in the results column. Broos has spoken about the confidence as the countdown to the showdown continues. Talk is cheap. What they produce on the field will speak louder than words.

Namibia are looking for victory. “The noise out there, whether it was 1998, 2019 or whenever, doesn’t matter to them. They are blocking the noise. They are just focused on the task at hand. I have never seen such dedication in a group of players. On the field, in the gym, during breakfast, they are just focused. Even I am afraid of them,” Namibia coach and former captain Collin Benjamin told Caf online yesterday.

Defeat for Bafana will spell disaster ahead of the final group match against Tunisia on Wednesday at 7pm. They have a choice: salvage the situation with a win or dump the nation into the depths of despair — again.