Thebe Mabanga
Bafana Bafana must bring their A Game against Cameroon in the last 16 encounter at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the Agdal Medina Stadium, Rabat, on Sunday evening.
Failure to do so would see them lose an opportunity to improve on their bronze medal at the last edition of the tournament two years ago in Ivory Coast.
The two sides come into tonight’s encounter with Cameroon holding a slight advantage as in the group stages, they beat Gabon and Mozambique and held Ivory Coast to a draw.
South Africa scored victories over Angola (2-1) and Zimbabwe (3-2) but lost 1-0 to Egypt through a Mo Salah penalty.
But the issue is the manner in which those results were achieved. Bafana had a group stage campaign that can at best be described as stuttering.
After their hard-fought victory over Angola, they may have been unlucky against Egypt, but their win over Zimbabwe was nervy and error-strewn, with Zimbabwe’s goals stemming directly from mistakes, including an own goal. Higher-quality opponents, such as Cameroon, will punish those lapses.
Cameroon, for their part, have already produced one of the games of the tournament against champions Ivory Coast, in a high-intensity match.
Bafana have to answer questions around key positions. Ronwen Williams remains dependable in goal, but his aura as Goalkeeper of the Year has been slightly diminished by the defensive errors in front of him.
The central defensive pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mbekezeli Mbokazi remains shaky. Mbokazi is now presented with an opportunity to cement his name on the global stage by containing Manchester United star Bryan Mbeumo, having introduced himself with a cracker of a shot against Angola.
Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba remain dependable at right back and left back, respectively.
The key question for Bafana tonight is who will contain Carlos Baleba, the Brighton midfielder and best player so far.
SA coach Hugo Broos may need to call on Bathusi Aubaas, to allow Aubaas’s team mate and talisman Teboho Mokoena and Sphephelo Sithole to have more freedom to dictate the tempo.
Up front Bafana’s best player Oswin Appollis, who has two goals thus far, will be looked upon to score key goals. He is likely to take his place alongside Sipho Mbule behind Burnley striker and another standout performer Lyle Foster who has been a classic striker capable of producing magic even after drifting anonymously for long periods.
Broos also has the option of introducing the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota to bring an element of speed and surprise to unsettle Cameroon. Evidence Makgopa, the only backup striker to Foster, has not won over neutrals.
Cameroon are a familiar foe to South Africa, and CAF’s head-to-head record suggests Bafana have a narrow edge on paper.
The sides first met soon after South Africa’s return to international football in 1992, when Bafana won a friendly 1–0 in Durban on 7 July 1992 — with Doctor Khumalo scoring a penalty — before Cameroon won 2–1 in another friendly on 9 July 1992. Overall, CAF records nine meetings between the teams, with South Africa winning three, Cameroon one, and five ending in draws.
Outside of the AFCON finals, the sides met in the qualifiers for Gabon 2017, drawing both legs. Cameroon, at the time coached by Broos, went on to win the tournament, while South Africa failed to qualify.
Both teams are much changed from that period, but today’s class may come down to who commits fewer errors.
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