Former Bafana Bafana striker Sibusiso Zuma says he is confident that Percy Tau will deliver the goods and guide South Africa to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) semi-finals.
Bafana will be battling it out for a place in the last Afcon quarterfinal against a tricky Cape Verde side at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Saturday night.
Kick-off is at 10pm (SA time).
Tau, 29, has received criticism for not stepping up to the plate and delivering on the pitch as one of the senior players.
The Al Ahly playmaker’s penalty miss in the opening match against Mali led to SA losing the match 2-0. Before the miss, Bafana Bafana had Mali on the backfoot. Tau scored from the spot in the second match, as SA beat Namibia 4-0. However, Tau’s overall performance in the tournament thus far had been below his known ability.
Speaking to Sunday World on Thursday, Zuma said he is not too worried about Tau not living up to expectations, as he is confident he will be key in steering Bafana to the next round of the competition.
“We all know Percy Tau is an amazing player, and players of his calibre always come through in the big games,” Zuma said.
Let us not panic and wait for him
“I feel that Percy Tau just needs to try and find space as well and come to the party in terms of supporting and creating goal-scoring opportunities for Evidence Makgopa.
“Once Percy finds his feet, I’m sure the boys are going to be even better than what they have shown because they have been playing well.
“So, let us just wait for him and be patient; he will eventually find his feet. People must not panic; they need to give the boys a chance,” he added.
Against Cape Verde, Bafana will be up against a side that has not lost a match in the current Afcon tournament. The islanders’ big prize for the match on Saturday is reaching the semi-finals of the continental showpiece for the first time.
