Burkina Faso played themselves right back into World Cup contention and actually sit above South Africa on goal difference in Group D after a 2-0 win in the Cape Verde Islands at the weekend that coach Paulo Duarte said proved they could qualify for Russia in 2018.
A goal after just two minutes from Banou Diawara‚ who had scored the last gasp equaliser against Bafana Bafana in Ouagadougou last month‚ set the Stallions on their way to an unexpected three-point haul.
“I was happy to see us score early because that is the kind of confidence that a coach is looking for from his team. It helped us play a much better game.”
Speedy winger Prejuce Nakoulma‚ who gave Bafana a torrid time in October‚ got the second goal for Burkina just before the half hour mark.
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“This win showed that our draw with South Africa was not a fair result.
"We should have won by at least three goals. We know that we have a good squad and that we had to do the business away from home.
"Our side was feeling negative after the South Africa match but bounced back well‚” Duarte added.
“Beating Cape Verde was not easy but we are now well placed in Group D.”
The Cape Verde is the next destination for South Africa in the qualifiers in August.
Vanquished coach Lucio Antunes admitted his side were now in a spiral of disappointing results and it would be difficult to lift themselves out of their quagmire.
Cape Verde‚ who last year had a brief spell in the FIFA rankings as the top ranked nation in Africa‚ have lost five of their last six internationals.
- TMG Digital
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