Bafana Bafana’s dream start to their AFCON campaign turned into a nightmare as they slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Mali at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Tuesday night.
Despite enjoying early possession and a penalty opportunity, Bafana Bafana’s hopes were dashed by two goals in quick succession from Mali in the second half.
Coach Hugo Broos will have much to ponder after his team’s lacklustre performance and missed chances, leaving them with an uphill battle to qualify from Group E.
With Namibia having won the opening game against Tunisia, it was all on Bafana to get maximum points and keep their campaign on track. The Brave Warriors beat Tunisia 1-0 courtesy of a Dion Hotto strike in the other Group E encounter.
However, Mali’s ruthless efficiency proved too much for Bafana Bafana. The West African nation capitalised on defensive errors to secure a 2-0 victory in their AFCON opener.
HOW BAFANA BAFANA CONCEDED
The Eagles struck twice in a three-minute spell after the break, punishing Bafana’s failure to convert their own chances. This includes a missed penalty. Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko were clinical, leaving Bafana Bafana with the daunting task of getting back on track.
Mothobi Mvala committed a foul in the 58th minute after Percy Tau lost the ball in their own half.
From the resultant free-kick, Mali scored via Hamari Traore, who took advantage of a poorly positioned Rownen Williams.
For their second, Sinayoko outmuscled Siyanda Xulu and coolly placed his low shot beyond Williams’ reach in the 66th minute.
At that point, Mali dominated the game, camping in the Bafana half for much of the second half.
A penalty miss by Percy Tau in the 19th minute proved to be a turning point as Bafana Bafana were stunned by Mali’s second-half blitz in their AFCON Group E opener.
Despite dominating early possession, Bafana Bafana were undone by defensive lapses after the break. They conceded two goals within three minutes of each other.
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