OPINION: Faltering Afcon favourites can give Bafana hope against Mali

In drawing inspiration for their Africa Cup of Nations campaign, Bafana Bafana could have done worse than cast their eye over the last couple of days of surprises at the tournament in the Ivory Coast.

Cape Verde have probably produced the shock so far, taking down the Black Stars of Ghana on Sunday, but Mozambique were not far behind, coming so close to beating the mighty Pharaohs of Egypt, and still picking up a more-than-respectable point.

Even Nigeria, in Sunday’s opening game, couldn’t get a win over Equatorial Guinea, though they did waste glorious opportunities en route to that particular point.

Between Ghana, Egypt and Nigeria you have 14 Africa Cup of Nations titles, but they were brought down to earth by three nations who gave emphasis to those who believe the gap has narrowed between the so-called smaller nations and the so-called powerhouses of the African continent.

Then on Monday, we saw reigning champions Senegal stamp their authority in a 3-0 win over Gambia, but Cameroon and Algeria both slipped up, picking up just a point against Guinea and Angola.

Bafana once had a place at the top table on the continent, but they have fallen way off the pace over the past two decades or so, and go into this competition with few expecting them to be anywhere near the continental crown.

But perhaps they too can put their hand up as plucky underdogs, starting with Tuesday’s Group E clash with Mali. On paper, the Eagles have to be favourites in Korhogo, with a squad filled with players from some of the top leagues in Europe.

But we have already seen that there is no certainty at this competition, and in Hugo Broos, Bafana have a head coach who can draw on his experience of guiding Cameroon all the way to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017.

The Indomitable Lions were certainly more highly-regarded in Gabon than Bafana are in the Ivory Coast, but they were without several of their stars, and still Broos was able to take them all the way.

‘500 percent’

Broos has spoken ahead of the tournament of being surprised by how fired up all the countries were at the 2017 Afcon, describing them as all giving “500%”.

Cape Verde, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia and Angola certainly showed signs of that enormous percentile of passion in their respective games at the current Afcon. It is hoped Broos can instil a similar drive in Bafana, that can push them at least into the knockout rounds of the competition.

In a 24-team tournament, where 16 teams get through, there is every chance that Bafana can get past the group stages. Stuart Baxter’s Bafana made it in 2019 despite only beating Namibia in the group stages.

Bafana took the final place available to the best third-place finishers in their group, however captain Ronwen Williams, who was there in 2019, has already said they are looking to make easier progress.

A result against Mali would go a long way to achieving that, and under Broos, Bafana have shown they can raise their game against more highly-rated opposition, as victories over Ghana and Morocco attest.