Bafana Bafana have enough quality to compete against any team in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament, according to midfield maestro Themba Zwane.
In the round of 16 match at the Stade de San Pédro on Tuesday, top-ranked Morocco and South Africa will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals. Kick-off is at 10pm.
Bafana finished as runners-up in Group E behind leaders Mali after holding Tunisia to a frustrating goalless draw on Wednesday night.
Zwane has been one of the most outstanding players in the tournament held in Ivory Coast and was crucial against the north Africans.
The Mamelodi Sundowns player scored twice in three games and won man of the match awards in consecutive games against Tunisia and Namibia.
Zwane told the media following the Bafana game against Tunisia that his experience playing with his teammates at Sundowns will be crucial.
“In terms of quality, we’ve shown it. We have the quality to compete against any team,” Zwane said.
“We are aware that the standard is higher here than it is in the [CAF] Champions League, but we are still capable of competing and improving. We will try to push ourselves.”
Mshishi, as Zwane is affectionately known in the South African football fraternity, makes Bafana tick with his flair and ability to manoeuvre around defenders.
Apart from the rest of the team applying themselves on the matchday against Morocco, the hopes of Bafana advancing to the next round of the competition will also rely heavily on Zwane being on top of his game.
Morocco goes into the game as favourites but will not want to be complacent after Bafana beat them 2-1 in their last meeting.
