The stage is set for a high-stakes Southern African showdown that will decide the fate of South Africa’s Afcon dreams.
Bafana Bafana face a familiar and fierce rival, Zimbabwe, in a final Group B encounter on Monday evening. Where nothing but victory will suffice.
After the soaring high of an opening win and the controversial agony of a last-gasp defeat to Egypt, Hugo Broos’ men now stand on a knife’s edge in Marrakech.
Win and advance, or crash out
It’s a simple, pressure-cooked equation: win and advance, or stumble and watch the tournament dream evaporate against their determined Cosafa neighbours.
As the coach admits: “It will be tough,” but for Bafana, it’s a test they must pass to keep their journey alive.
Bafana must win against their Cosafa rivals if they are to get safe passage to the round of 16 and continue realising their Afcon dream.
South Africa had a dream start to their Afcon campaign when they beat Angola 2-1. But they suffered a setback when they were edged 1-0 by Egypt in Agadir in a dramatic second outing, which has been the subject of furious debates around the world since Friday.
Ahead of the game, Broos said they expect a tough match against Zimbabwe. A a team they have played against several times during his four-year stint.
“It’s not the first time we’ve played against Zimbabwe. And in the four years I have been a coach in SA, Zimbabwe has been in our group in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. So, we know them very well,” Broos said ahead of the game.
In for a tough challenge
“They know us very well, too, and they would like to win against us. We felt that already in the previous matches. So again, it will be tough tomorrow, and we must achieve our best level to get a good result.”
Defender Nkosinathi Sibisi shared the same sentiments as Broos. He added that getting a win will be the only satisfactory result.
“We know that a victory will also be good motivation going into the next round,” Sibisi said.
“So, for us, we are really looking forward to playing the game and hopefully getting a result.”
Bafana are currently on number two with three points. They are followed by Angola and Zim, who are both tied on one point apiece. Egypt have already qualified for the next round. And Bafana will want to join them in the last 16.
