Teams scoring five or six goals in competitive international football are rare, but expect to see an all-out offensive from South Africa when they tackle Botswana in a must-win World Cup African Group A qualifier at Moses Mabhida Stadium here today (3.30pm).
Attacking drills were the main focus area as Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the match peaked during training over the past two days.
Over and above relying on strikers Tokelo Rantie and Bernard Parker for goals, coach Gordon Igesund went hands-on with his midfielders at training as he shared tips on how to make the most of sco-ring opportunities.
An attacking player during his club career in South Africa and Austria, Igesund preached an offensive gameplan this week in the build-up to the final group qualifier.
It’s a clash the hosts must win if they are to have any hope of winning their group and advancing to the final knockout stage of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“There’s no use sitting back to see how it goes in the first 45 minutes. We want to go out and get goals in the first 45 minutes,” said Igesund as the squad wrapped up training during a closed session at the stadium yesterday. “We’ll take the game as it comes; even if it’s 1-0, I’ll be happy. Scores of five and six-nil don’t happen anymore in international games. We drew with them 1-1 in the first round, so why should it be 6-0 now?”
An open game is expected, reasoned Igesund, because the Zebras also need a win to have a chance of qualifying.
However, Botswana, in third place in the group, need to win by a healthy margin in the hope of overtaking log leaders Ethiopia on goal difference should they lose against the Central African Republic (CAR).
That match also kicks off at 3.30pm and will be played in neutral territory at Brazzaville in Congo because of the unrest in CAR.
When South Africa played in Durban last month, they fielded two defensive midfielders in Dean Furman and Reneilwe Letsholonyane in a 2-0 defeat to African champions Nigeria.
Chances are Igesund may opt for only one midfield anchor and rope in an extra attacker to boost supply to the front-runners. Netherlands-based Thulani Serero is over his injury woes and is expected to provide the magic alongside Rantie and Parker.
Although Igesund was not in charge when South Africa drew the first-round game in Gaborone, he pin-pointed Botswana’s foreign-based players as their main weapons, in particular midfielders Mogakolodi Ngele of Platinum Stars and Joel Mogorosi of Bloemfontein Celtic.
Former Orlando Pirates winger Phenyo Mongala is another dangerman in the Zebras squad. He lost his place at the Buccaneers because of the good form of Daine Klate, who could also feature today, and ended up in the DR Congo league.
Botswana, therefore, can’t be taken lightly, cautioned Igesund. “We have to give them the respect they deserve, but still go in with a positive frame of mind. There’s a misconception if anyone thinks it’ll be an easy game because the gap between the big and small countries has closed. Botswana will be tough, but I believe if they play to their maximum level and we play at the level we need to be, I don’t think it will be a match.”
Igesund can expect an almost sell-out crowd to act as a 12th man for Bafana Bafana. By yesterday morning, more than 25000 of the 39000 tickets had been sold. Organisers urged supporters to snap up remaining tickets early in order to avoid a computer system crash similar to that which happened before the South Africa-Nigeria game.
Fifa rules on World Cup qualifying state that if teams are even on points at the end of group play, the tied teams will be ranked by:
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- Greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
- Goal difference in matches between the tied teams
- Greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
- Greater number of away goals scored in matches between the tied teams if only two teams are tied
Previous meetings
January 10, 1993
v Botswana 2-0 (Seale 58, Moshoeu 86)
Friendly international
National Stadium, Gaborone
February 20, 1999
v Botswana 2-1 (Ndlanya 36, Phiri 39; Selolwane 13)
Cosafa Castle Cup, first round
National Stadium, Gaborone
March 30, 2002
v Botswana 0-0
South Africa won 5-4 on pens
Cosafa Castle Cup, first round
National Stadium, Gaborone
May 21, 2006
v Botswana 0-0
Botswana won 6-5 on pens
Cosafa Castle Cup, Group B final
National Stadium, Gaborone
September 29, 2007
v Botswana 1-0 (Modise 32)
Cosafa Castle Cup, semi-final
Super Stadium, Tshwane
January 16, 2008
v Botswana 2-1 (Moon 41, Zuma 81)
Friendly international
King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban
June 9, 2012
v Botswana 1-1 (Gould 14; Nato 38)
2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier
University of Botswana Stadium, Gaborone
2014 World Cup qualifiers
African Group A
Standings
P W D L F A GD Pts
Ethiopia 5 3 1 1 6 5 +1 10
S Africa5 2 2 1 8 4 +4 8
Botswana 5 2 1 2 7 6 +1 7
CAR 5 1 0 4 4 10 -6 3
- Saturday Star