SOUTH African football can now tentatively begin talking about a turning point, says Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba following the team's qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Next year's tournament will be staged in Equatorial Guinea. Bafana rounded up an excellent qualification campaign with a nervy, but ultimately convincing 2-1 victory against Sudan at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday that saw the team qualify with a match to spare.
On 11 points, SA are guaranteed finishing as Group A leaders. They qualified for their first major tournament since the 2008 Afcon finals in Ghana. Mashaba encouraged South African football to strike while the iron is hot, and capitalise on the positive signs that have emerged recently in a professional manner.
"I spoke to the [Safa] president [Danny Jordaan] and said, 'We're not doing well. And it's not because Bafana are not doing well, it's the junior teams that aren't qualifying for these tournaments'," Mashaba said.
"I don't know which country has good junior structures and does not manage to perform. If we talk about a turning point, the gods of football are smiling on us. And we need to capitalise on that." It might have been a nervy performance for Bafana, especially in the first 35 minutes, and then the last 10. Tactically, it was not in the class of their best and most important game of the qualifiers - the 3-0 win against Congo in Pointe Noire. But Mashaba was overall pleased with a display where Bafana were at times brilliant, dealt with the pressure of needing a home win before their trip to play Nigeria on Wednesday, and put aside the emotions of the past three weeks since the murder of captain and goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
"Sudan had a plan. They were not here to win, but to draw. In the first half they had a break - if they had punished us there it would have been difficult for us to come back," the coach said..
"Darren Keet did very well coming in for our late goalkeeper. We nearly gave it away at the end."
While the result of Wednesday's game against Nigeria in Uyo is now academic, Mashaba said Bafana will be out for a win.
l See Page 26
Mashaba happy with display
SOUTH African football can now tentatively begin talking about a turning point, says Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba following the team's qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Next year's tournament will be staged in Equatorial Guinea. Bafana rounded up an excellent qualification campaign with a nervy, but ultimately convincing 2-1 victory against Sudan at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday that saw the team qualify with a match to spare.
On 11 points, SA are guaranteed finishing as Group A leaders. They qualified for their first major tournament since the 2008 Afcon finals in Ghana. Mashaba encouraged South African football to strike while the iron is hot, and capitalise on the positive signs that have emerged recently in a professional manner.
"I spoke to the [Safa] president [Danny Jordaan] and said, 'We're not doing well. And it's not because Bafana are not doing well, it's the junior teams that aren't qualifying for these tournaments'," Mashaba said.
"I don't know which country has good junior structures and does not manage to perform. If we talk about a turning point, the gods of football are smiling on us. And we need to capitalise on that." It might have been a nervy performance for Bafana, especially in the first 35 minutes, and then the last 10. Tactically, it was not in the class of their best and most important game of the qualifiers - the 3-0 win against Congo in Pointe Noire. But Mashaba was overall pleased with a display where Bafana were at times brilliant, dealt with the pressure of needing a home win before their trip to play Nigeria on Wednesday, and put aside the emotions of the past three weeks since the murder of captain and goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
"Sudan had a plan. They were not here to win, but to draw. In the first half they had a break - if they had punished us there it would have been difficult for us to come back," the coach said..
"Darren Keet did very well coming in for our late goalkeeper. We nearly gave it away at the end."
While the result of Wednesday's game against Nigeria in Uyo is now academic, Mashaba said Bafana will be out for a win.
l See Page 26
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