Bafana Bafana v Morocco: Here are the five takeouts from the match

Bafana were NOT unfortunate

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Both Hugo Broos and Lyle Foster have pointed at misfortune as a factor in Bafana’s 2-1 defeat to Morocco in Rabat. And its true that the Atlas Lions winner came just a few minutes from time. But let’s be clear. Barring the fact that they were down to ten men when Morocco scored, Bafana were not unlucky, in fact they would have been on the end of a hammering were it not for the brilliance of captain Ronwen Williams in goal. Morocco had 29 shots to Bafana’s five, with the only shot on target from South Africa coming from Lyle Foster’s opener. Even when the gulf in quality is this apparent, Bafana need to find a way of getting more on the front foot, or they will continue to rely too much on their goalkeeper.

Sithole looks promising but Amrabat is pure silk

Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole had a good debut for Bafana in midfield, picking out Foster with a sublime pass for the opening goal. The 23 year-old Belenenses midfielder was combative throughout too, so much so that an injury forced him off the field when Morocco found their winner. The best midfielder on the park, meanwhile, by some distance, was Moroccan maestro Soufiane Amrabat. The Fiorentina man dictated play like an orchestra conductor, all delicate touches and slick passing, as well as seemingly having a sixth sense for where the ball would land in broken play.

Percy Tau still doesn’t look up to speed

Percy Tau had a decent finish to the season with Al Ahly, even if he didn’t shine in the Caf Champions League final, but the former Mamelodi Sundowns man still looks a shadow of the player that lit up the stage for Sundowns, Club Brugge and Anderlecht, as well as Bafana Bafana. He looked a yard off the pace against Morrocco, either being caught in possession or unable to get the ball at all, instead committing fouls on Morocco defenders. At 28, Tau should be in the prime of his career, and not in decline.

Ronwen Williams has surely silenced his critics

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams impressed even in a 5-0 defeat to France in a friendly at the end of March, and was again his country’s best player in their defeat to Morocco on Thursday. Without ‘Ronza’ between the poles who knows how many goals Bafana would have shipped against Les Bleus and the Atlas Lions. He certainly saved his country from embarrassment against Morocco, almost single-handedly keeping them out in the first half in Rabat, with brilliant saves from Youssef En-Nesyri and Ashraf Hakimi. There was little he could do about Morocco’s two goals, and was entitled to expect a bit more help from his defenders.

The PSL is way off European football

Given the money involved, the Premier Soccer League is always going to be miles behind the quality of football in the top European leagues, but it is still scary to watch, when you see a Bafana team made up of mostly locally-based players going up against a Morocco side made up almost entirely of players from Europe. Mamelodi Sundowns’ Lyle Lakay was named the DStv Premiership Defender of the Season, but was ripped to shreds by Ashraf Hakimi of Paris St Germain, who cruised into the highway of space that Lakay left behind him, whipping in dangerous cross after dangerous cross. Unless we can get more South African players to Europe, Bafana will continue to be left behind on the continental stage.