With Bafana Bafana set to face Namibia on Sunday night, desperate to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the AFCON knockout phase, Siphiwe Tshabalala has offered valuable insights into what SA need to do to emerge victorious from this pivotal clash.
Hugo Broos‘ charges will take on neighbours Namibia at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Sunday, 21 January 2024. The kick-off is at 22:00 [SA time].
Bafana started their AFCON group stage journey on the wrong foot. South Africa succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Mali this past Tuesday.
Second-half goals from Hamari Traoré and Lassine Sinayoko were enough to earn Éric Sékou’s side a vital win.
With Bafana’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages not looking so good after losing their first, there is also the real possibility that Broos’ side could be eliminated from the tournament if they lose against Namibia.
SIPHIWE TSHABALALA ON WHAT BAFANA BAFANA SHOULD DO AFTER MALI DEFEAT
“We have got skilful players, very dynamic, confident and comfortable on the ball,” said Tshabalala on Radio 2000.
“We just need to be clinical on the final third. I think if we can play the way we played against Mali in the first half and have a strong second half with a little bit of extra 10%, then we will win games.
“But, we also need to make sure that the chances that we create we convert them because that’s how we got punished [by not converting chances].”
Meanwhile, Bafana coach Broos remains confident that his boys will be able to bounce back stronger. Broos praised his troops after Mali’s loss, claiming that the performance was good. But not good enough to get positive results.
The Belgian mentor went on to explain that they lost to the Eagles on two factors. He cited that Mali players were more powerful in terms of physique and the missed penalty by Percy Tau.
With that being said, the side will look to rectify that going into their next clash, as getting maximum points is of paramount importance.
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