Faith, hope and big ifs for Bafana (audio)

"Average at best. Always, since 1992." This comment, from a disgruntled Bafana supporter, caught the eye not long after the final whistle had sounded in South Africa's 1-1 draw against Senegal in their second match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Group C here on Friday night.

But Bafana have not been mediocre in this competition, even though results do not back them. Like they often do, Bafana - champions in 1996 - have decided to again do it the hard way, with a stalemate leaving their chances of staying in this tournament hanging by a thread.

The truth is, Bafana have been on a slippery Afcon slope, winning three of their 19 games at the showpiece since Ghana and Nigeria co-hosted the tournament in 2000.

In this edition, the permutations allow for Bafana to progress to the quarterfinals if Senegal beat Algeria on Tuesday and they down Ghana in the final round of group matches this week.

It gets a bit complicated if both Algeria and SA win, because Bafana will be level on points with Senegal and goal difference will determine who finishes runners-up behind the continent's No1 team.

Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba's men have played in patches in their two games here at the Estadio de Mongomo against Algeria and the Lions of Teranga - dazzling and wowing the crowd - but, as Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate had pointed out rather bluntly ahead of their clash, they have been "toothless" upfront.

The coach did not hide his disappointment, again bemoaning the root cause of Bafana's current predicament in this Group of Death.

"When we put the ball on the ground, we were killing them. They couldn't match us, but unfortunately we couldn't convert," Mashaba explained. "If you look at both our games, we created more chances than our two oppositions. Our boys just want to roll the ball into the net. And when we lose the ball we are found wanting."

Bafana arrived in Equatorial Guinea believing their own hype. Rightfully so. In the 10 matches before the Afcon kicked off, South Africa were unbeaten and had qualified for this showpiece without defeat in a group that included defending champions Nigeria, who, due to politics within their football federation, were in disarray on and off the pitch.

But many will feel Mashaba's young team did not live up to expectations. And now they have it all to do against another side that featured in last year's World Cup in Brazil when they meet the Black Stars of Ghana in two days.

"If they come ready to play, we will have the upper hand," said the Bafana coach.

"But our challenge has always been the physicality in this group and the tackles, which our boys tend to pull out of. There's been shoving and pulling, not skills. That is how the opposition has played, but how are we going to employ this? It might be seen as retaliation if we do it and that will lead to us giving away more fouls closer to our box."

Ghana, along with SA, are the least aggressive side in the group, which will probably allow for direct football and the flair that's been lacking here.

Ghana have not looked sharp in this competition and had to rely on striker Asamoah Gyan, who missed their defeat to Senegal through a bout of malaria, to score a last-gasp goal to earn them victory against Algeria on Friday.

Mashaba hinted at a few changes. Thuso Phala could make way for Mandla Masango on the right wing, while Reneilwe Letsholonyane could also be brought in to reinforce the midfield after impressing when he came off the bench against Senegal to help stabilise the middle of the park.

The coach could again be forced to use a makeshift defence if Thulani Hlatshwayo does not recover from a concussion he suffered in the first half of the Senegal game, causing him to suffer double vision. He was replaced by Ayanda Gcaba.

Mashaba remains hopeful that South Africa can find a solution to the scoring drought that continues to plague all national teams.

But for now he will have to rely on the attackers available in his Afcon squad to beat Ghana. "I told them in the dressing room that we still have a chance," the coach said.

"But we can only grab that chance if we win and score at least three goals. We've got the players that can match Ghana. I believe we will solve our scoring problems to be honest."

Mashaba also wants his team to keep mistakes to a minimum. "We needed to defend with intelligence," he said. "There was no need to hammer people in our own box. If you look at the kind of fouls we gave away, it was unlike us."

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