OPINION: Now Bafana can dare to dream of AFCON glory

Bafana Bafana’s victory over Morocco in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations has shown them they can beat the best on the continent, when it really matters, and has to increase belief in Hugo Broos’ camp that they can now go all the way and lift a first AFCON title since 1996.

Much was made of the fact that Bafana’s AFCON qualifying victory over the Atlas Lions in June at FNB Stadium was a dead rubber, even Morocco head coach Walid Regragui saying afterwards that his players “had their minds on the holidays,”

In San Pedro on Tuesday, however, there could be no such excuses for the Morocco coach, as his team of overseas-based stars were humbled by Hugo Broos’ superbly-organised Bafana, who gave a display full of fight and heart, combined with a ruthlessness in attack that was vital against this defensively solid Atlas Lions side.

Bafana have more locally-based players in their squad than any other at this Africa Cup of Nations, an excellent advertisement for the Premier Soccer League, and in particular Mamelodi Sundowns. There is little doubt that the cohesion of the team is helped by the fact that eight Masandawana players are in the Bafana starting line-up,

Sundowns won the inaugural CAF African Football League late last year, and while it is easy to belittle a continental club tournament, the fact that many of this squad have the feeling of what it is like to lift a trophy like that can only help Bafana going forward.

Hugo Broos is also a coach who has won the Africa Cup of Nations before, with Cameroon in 2017, and has shown an aptitude for tournament football again here. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ goes the old mantra, and the Belgian has been blessed in being able to pick the same team for three consecutive games.

Bafana spirit

There is clearly a togetherness in the Bafana squad under Broos’ leadership, and while Bafana did beat hosts Egypt in the last 16 under Stuart Baxter in 2019, this victory, over the World Cup semfinalists, is even more impressive.

So too has been Bafana’s overall performance, with a runners-up spot in Group E secured where Baxter’s side barely scraped through the group stages.

In 2019 Bafana succumbed to Nigeria in the quarterfinals, and Broos’ Bafana, on paper, have an easier task this Saturday against Cape Verde. Broos already made mention of this ahead of the Morocco game, saying that if they could find a way past Morocco, they could go all the way to the final.

If this AFCON has shown anything, it is that there is a danger in underestimating any opponent, and Cape Verde have shown their class in this tournament, building on a Last 16 place two years ago to go one step further in the Ivory Coast.

But Bafana have certainly earned the right to dream and the win over Morocco has shown them they have nothing to fear from any side left in this tournament.