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Preview :South Africa face a buoyant Mali

Preview :South Africa face a buoyant Mali

South Africa’s Bafana Bafan  will be hoping third time’s a charm when they face Mali in their Africa Cup of Nations  Group E opener on Tuesday in Korhogo.

Bafana have met The Eagles twice in the biennial showpiece, with their first clash dating back to 2002, before meeting in the event again in 2013. With both matches coincidentally played on the same date, February 3 – the second in a quarter-final – it was the west Africans that reigned supreme.

They won the first match 2-0 on home soil before winning the second 3-1 on penalties, after the match at Moses Mabhida Stadium ended 1-1 after extra-time.

“It’s going to be a very tough game for them. I hope they are all in good spirits and the coach has a game plan … he studied Mali,” Igesund said.

“I hope he watched videos. I am sure they are getting ready. It’s the real test for us. We wanted to qualify. Mali, as we all know, are a good team. When I was in charge, Mali knocked out us on penalties.

“It was a hell of a game. We led 1-0 and they kept going. It’s going to be a great game.”

In their preparations, they blew hot and cold, drawing matches that they were supposed to easily win against the so-called minnows.

They drew their last friendly, which was played behind closed doors, against Lesotho, something that didn’t please most of their partisan fans. With Mali and Tunisia tipped to pose a challenge to Bafana’s chances of exiting the group, many are already casting doubts over Bafana’s ability to beat them.

 

 

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com

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