After sadly missing out on an opportunity to play in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, Bafana Bafana will be hoping to walk away with a bronze medal on Saturday night.
South Africa will square off against DR Congo in the Afcon third/fourth place match at the Félix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. Kick-off time is at 10pm (SA time).
Exciting success at tournament
Coach Hugo Broos and his Bafana squad will give themselves a pat on the back for having had an exciting and successful 2023 Afcon tournament. This despite falling short and missing out on the final after a heartbreaking defeat to Nigeria on penalties.
Broos steered Bafana to their first ever semi-final in 24 years. They sensationally went past number-one ranked African team Morocco in the last 16.
They then went on to beat Cape Verde in the quarterfinals through a nail-biting penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams heroically saved four penalties.
Unfortunately, Williams could not repeat his heroics against the Super Eagles. And the team bowed out of the competition as one of the best-performing underdogs.
Playing in final would have been better
Broos said that the game will be special but admitted that playing in the final would have been better. He was speaking to the media during a press conference on Friday ahead of their clash against the Congolese.
“The game tomorrow [Saturday] is special. It will depend a little bit on which team will be mentally the most recovered because. Also for DRC, it was a disappointing loss,” Broos said.
Eyeing number one
“If you ask my advice, this game should not be played. The most important thing in a tournament like this is number one. If you are number two or number four tomorrow, for me, it’s the same because this is only for statistics.
“Number one is important, and we know number one will always be remembered. So, again, I hope that my players will have recovered from the knockdown they got on Wednesday.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria will confront hosts Ivory Coast in what will be a blockbuster final. This takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Abidjan on Sunday night at 10pm (SA time).
