OPINION| Bafana get last throw of the dice against Czechia

Thebe Mbanga

This evening, at 6pm SA time, Bafana Bafana play their 11th and arguably most important match at the World Cup finals when they face Czechia.

Anything less than a victory will leave their tournament hanging by a thread and could turn their remaining match against South Korea, in the early hours of next Thursday, into little more than an academic exercise.

The first and most obvious reason Bafana can and must win is that, in Czechia, they meet the weakest opponent in the group — and not only because Czechia are ranked 40th in the world to Bafana’s 60th.

Czechia needed two penalty shootout victories in the European playoffs to qualify. They remain lethargic and unconvincing, lacking players of technical ability and relying heavily on set-pieces, including long throw-ins in the final third, to create meaningful chances.

Their only goal so far came in their 2-1 loss to