Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos. Bafana Bafana training in Stellenbosch ahead of their African Cup of Nation in Cameroon With a win against Algeria, a number of objectives could potentially be achieved, writes IOL Sport’s Michael Sherman. Seen here: Bafana coach Hugo Broos. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will have a lot on his mind when his side take on hosts Algeria at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algers in their Fifa Series Friendly International on Tuesday evening.
Kick-off is at 11pm SA time.
Last week Bafana were held to a deflating 1-1 draw with lowly-ranked Andorra in the first of their two matches in the Fifa series.
With a win against Algeria, however, a number of objectives could potentially be achieved.
The second match for Bafana in a week will allow Broos a final look at new combinations in a largely inexperienced squad he selected for the series. Players like Sydney Mobbie, Oswin Appollis and Iqraam Rayners could all improve their Bafana stock with a good showing.
On Monday, reports emerged that Broos could be leaving Bafana for the Tunisia national team. It seemed ludicrous to believe that Broos would be exiting so suddenly after a successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign, and with his contract still running until 2026.
The SA Football Association also came out to deny any truth to the reports of Broos’s exit. However, if Bafana were to draw or lose against Algeria it’s almost a guarantee that the rumours will start flying again. A convincing win, in contrast, will make Safa’s statement seem rather more emphatic.
The last time Bafana qualified for a Fifa World Cup was in 2002, since they gained automatic entry into the 2010 edition as hosts. After the Algeria match, Bafana will turn their focus to qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe in June and a fully-firing squad will do much for their confidence.
It’s an understatement to say the draw against Andorra was a disappointment. Andorra are ranked 164th in the world, while Bafana are occupying their highest spot in over a decade at number 58.
Being unable to beat their lesser-fancied opposition in their first outing since their third place at Afcon, was like a punch in the stomach. Against Algeria, Bafana can show that result was just a blip on the radar.
Finding the back of the net seems to have been Bafana’s problem for years, but that changed during Afcon. As they try to forget the Andorra draw, Bafana would not only want to beat Algeria but to score at least two goals as they attempt to regain their goal-scoring momentum.