PARTY IN IVORY COAST ISN’T OVER YET
WHEN Evidence Makgopa scored the opening goal for Bafana Bafana against Morocco on Tuesday night, the big striker first turned around to look at the referee.
We as fans may have done the same thing, because it is seldom that things go Bafana’s way in recent years.
But Makgopa was rewarded for his fine finish as the goal stood, and suddenly South Africa were leading against the best team on the continent.
Teboho Mokoena’s world-class freekick in stoppage time sealed Bafana’s passage to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, where they will take on Cape Verde tomorrow in Yamoussoukro.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for coach Hugo Broos’s team from their opening 2-0 defeat to Mali.
Despite enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run before last November’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier defeat to Rwanda away, Bafana are regarded as perennial strugglers on the big stage.
They didn’t qualify for the 2021 Afcon, and they were last at the World Cup when they hosted the 2010 edition. Before that, they only qualified for the 1998 and 2002 tournaments.
So, you can understand why Mzansi weren’t too excited when Bafana beat Namibia 4-0 and then a goalless draw with Tunisia secured a place in the Afcon last-16 in the Ivory Coast.
But that will hopefully change following the 2-0 victory over Morocco. It was an incredible performance by South Africa against a team who reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
Morocco’s stars such as Achraf Hakimi and Sofyan Amrabat – who play for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United – became villains for the Atlas Lions as they missed a penalty and were red-carded respectively.
The magnitude of Bafana’s triumph must inspire the local players to improve the quality of the SA league, and push for moves to overseas clubs to help them take the next step and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
But the party in the Ivory Coast isn’t over. If Bafana can beat Cape Verde in tomorrow’s quarter-final, they will face either Nigeria or Angola in the semi-finals next Wednesday.
So, let’s all wear our green-and-gold today – like we did for the Springboks and Proteas – and send messages of support to the Bafana squad. They have truly earned it.