Bafana in grave danger of elimination

They say fortune favours the brave, but in Bafana Bafana’s case, this really wasn’t the case as they ended up inching into the last-16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, almost in spite of the cautious tactics they employed in the group stages.

Bafana’s players and coaching staff watched anxiously together on a big screen in Cairo on Tuesday night, as Mali edged Angola 1-0, meaning South Africa were confirmed as the fourth best third-place finisher in group stages, earning them the last available place in the the last-16, and a meeting with the Pharaohs of Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday night.

The atmosphere at Egypt’s games at this tournament have been unbelievable, the home supporters creating a sea of red inside their main stadium, Javier Aguirre’s side winning all three of their Group A games without conceding a goal.

The Pharaohs have looked vulnerable at the back, however, with Uganda extremely unlucky not to get a goal in their last match, with a 2-0 win for Egypt not a fair reflection of the game.

The Cranes decided to go toe- to-toe with the host nation, but if Baxter’s tactics in this competition are anything to go by, he is far more likely to sit in on Saturday, and play on the counter.

READ: Bafana players to pocket R320k for reaching Afcon last 16

Bafana sat way too deep in the latter stages on Monday against Morocco, and were hit by a sucker punch, a last-minute goal from the Atlas Lions coming ever so close to sending them home.
Baxter, however, pointed to the closeness of most of the encounters in his group as a positive, and said his side were excited about the prospect of taking on Egypt.

“It is a great challenge and one the whole squad are looking forward to,” said Baxter.

“I think the groups have, for the most part, been very tight, our group was … we were seconds away in every game from it being a different game, with a different result. People think we got through the back door or whatever, but we were seconds away in a couple of games from getting through on our own power, and people would have said then it was a great performance. But that is what the game is about, perceptions. One refereeing decision or missed shot or mistake can change perceptions.

“We have got the opportunity now to play the host nation, in front of a load of people, in a hostile environment, that is the time we want to stand up and I think the group are looking forward to it.”

It is hard, frankly, to see how any of Bafana’s group matches could have been branded a “great performance,” but they were seconds away from a goalless draw against Morocco that would have seen them through to the last 16 in a far less stressful manner.

Generally, Bafana have defended well, and kept their shape well, bar a couple of losses of concentration for the two goals they conceded, but it is in attack that they have really struggled.

Baxter’s men have managed just one goal, from a set-piece, and have failed to click in the final third, with not a shot on target against the Ivory Coast and only a handful against Namibia and Morocco put together.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.