Johannesburg- Former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker says that even if Bafana Bafana are on the right groove to reach the 2022 Fifa World Cup, they cannot afford to be complacent in the return match against Ethiopia.
Bafana scored a confidence-boosting 3-1 away victory over Ethiopia in Bahir Dar yesterday and they remain at the top of Group G, with seven points after three rounds of matches. They have won two matches, against Ghana and Ethiopia, and drew against Zimbabwe in these qualifiers.
The road is still long and full of potholes as the Group winners are not guaranteed a ticket to next year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The 10 group winners will be drawn against each other on a home and away basis and only five winners will qualify for the World Cup – making this last hurdle a mountain to climb against Africa’s top dogs.
“I am very happy and excited about this new team. The boys are keen to impress and they have done a marvellous job,” said Barker, who coached SA to victory in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
“They must forget about yesterday’s match and focus on the next fixture at home. If they are going to dwell a lot on yesterday’s great result, they can end up being complacent and that can create a problem. It’s not easy playing against the same team in a matter of days, but it’s going to be the same for both teams,” he said.
Barker said coach Hugo Broos will need to put up a balanced team that will perform well both at defence and attack.
“I was impressed by Teboho Mokoena who is turning into a world class player. The goalkeeper as well Ronwen Williams has improved since he was made captain. They have eased the pressure off themselves by winning the away game. It’s always nice to play away and come back with the maximum points and that’s why I do not doubt that these young chaps will qualify for the World Cup in Qatar,” he said.
Broos’ youth policy seems to be yielding results after he dropped former regulars Thulani “Tyson” Hlatshwayo, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Thulani Serero, Andile Jali, Themba “Mshishi” Zwane, Itumeleng Khune and Kermit Erasmus, to mention but a few.
The youngsters are energetic, hungry and determined to make names for themselves. Qualification for the next round is now in their hands since they are in the driving seat.
South Africa’s goals were scored by Mokoena, Mothobi Mvala and Evidence Makgopa, while Ethiopia pulled one via the boot of Getaneh Kebede. The return match is on Tuesday at the FNB Stadium, with a kick-off at 6 pm.
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