MAHLATSE MPHAHLELE | Bafana tend to rise to the occasion when odds are against them

It is Marrakesh all over again.

During the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco in December and January, Bafana Bafana were in a similar spot of bother as they had to win their last group match against Zimbabwe to guarantee passage to the next round. They did it, under pressure, 3-2.

And it was not just in Marrakesh. At the previous Afcon, after starting with a 2-0 defeat to Mali, Bafana needed a draw against a strong Tunisia. They did it.

In the qualifiers for this World Cup, the South African Football Association’s inexcusable error over Teboho Mokoena’s suspension that saw three points docked from a win against Lesotho meant Bafana had to beat Rwanda. They did it.

In 2018, South Africa needed a win against war-torn Libya in tricky neutral Tunisia to reach the 2019 Afcon. They did it.

Once a soft touch, this team of Hugo Broos has shown, by their fighting bronze medal at the Afcon in 2024, and signs of which began under the coach’s predecessors, Shakes Mashaba and Stuart Baxter, that they are not anymore.

Broos and his men are there again, but this time their fate is not entirely in their own hands as they must beat a tough, better-pedigreed, and experienced South Korea in Monterrey on Wednesday (7pm in Monterey, Thursday 3am SA time).

At the same, they must hope that co-hosts Mexico, who have already qualified for the round of 32 after two wins, beat Czechia in their final match of Group A.

Things are a little bit complicated for South Africa, because if Czechia pull off a huge surprise and beat Mexico at Estadio Azteca Stadium, they may leapfrog Bafana into the second automatic qualifying place.

However, four points seem highly likely to be enough to go through as one of the eight best third-placed finishers from the 12 groups.

Whether they will pull off a much-needed and convincing win over South Korea, like they did against Zimbabwe at the Marrakesh Stadium, remains to be seen.

The one thing about Bafana is they like to do things the hard way, and they have often produced unbelievable results when backed into a corner. This is yet another opportunity to silence the critics.

There are not many people who believe they can go out there at Estadio Monterrey and beat the fancied South Korea and make history by qualifying for the next round.

There is something that can work to their advantage and that is momentum from their impressive 1-1 draw with Czechia last week, where they ended the match in the ascendancy.

They started the tournament with a stinker against Mexico, where Broos’ tactics backfired, but they came back strongly against Czechia to earn a vital point that kept them alive in the tournament.

After that share of the spoils, key players Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams and Thapelo Maseko said the good performance was a much-needed confidence booster. Bafana have looked like a team tentatively — and sometimes too tentatively — finding their feet on a global stage that this generation have not encountered.

Going into this crucial clash, the focus is on Broos and how he is going to balance the starting line-up where he has to replace suspended midfield star player Mokoena.

The question is: does he go with continuity in formation or make changes to the starting line-up to specifically counter South Korea, who are different from Czechia in their style of play.

If he goes with continuity in formation, then he is going to stick with three defensive-minded midfielders in Jayden Adams, Thalente Mbatha and the returning Sphephelo Sithole, who would replace Mokoena.

Mofokeng was lively and created some problems for Czechia after he came on for Adams as Broos went with Mokoena and Mbatha as defensive midfielders, and there are growing calls to start with him in this match

In this formation, there is a high possibility Relebohile Mofokeng will again start on the bench and come on as an impact player like he did against Czechia, where he added much-needed impetus. The more physical Adams softened the Czechs up well.

The other option for Broos is to start Mofokeng, either as a winger or playmaker, but that means he would have to sacrifice one defensive midfielder or winger in Thapelo Maseko or Oswin Appollis.

Bafana functioned better with Maseko and Appollis, who asked the Czechia defenders questions when attacking opportunities arose, and their speed is going to be needed again in this match.

Mokoena’s late penalty was won by Maseko, who was pressing ahead into the Czechia danger area where he forced the opposition defender to handle the ball in the box.

Mofokeng was lively and created some problems for Czechia after he came on for Adams, as Broos went with Mokoena and Mbatha as defensive midfielders, and there are growing calls to start with him in this match.

Another area where Broos has a tough decision to make is upfront, because he must choose who to start between Iqraam Rayners, Lyle Foster and Evidence Makgopa.

In defence, Broos has no headaches as his combinations are settled, and there is a strong case for continuity because he shouldn’t try to fix what is not broken.

It is high stakes on Thursday morning and don’t bet against Bafana getting the result, because they have turned the tables when no one has given them a chance before.