Bafana Bafana tactician Hugo Broos knows beating Morocco, one of the Afcon favourites, will be an uphill battle but the Belgian is still confident SA can stun the first-ranked African nation.
Having seen traditional powerhouses like Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia and Cameroon exit the tournament at the hands of minnows is what makes Broos believe Bafana “can create another surprise”. The coach also banks on the fact that they beat the Atlas Lions last June. These two sides meet in the Afcon last 16 tie at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro tonight (10pm SA time).
“We are aware of a difficult task that’s waiting for us. Morocco are No.1 in Africa, having also been fantastic at the World Cup... they were fourth [at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022],”' Broos said at a media conference at the match’s venue yesterday.
“Their squad is full of high-profile players. It’ll be very difficult but on the other side, this Afcon is full of surprises as we’ve seen a few big countries are already home. A few days ago Cameroon were eliminated, so it’s possible for us to beat Morocco.
“Secondly, we beat Morocco already in June in Johannesburg, where we played a very good game. That makes us believe in ourselves… it’s possible to beat Morocco tomorrow [tonight] but we will have to be at our best to create another surprise at this Afcon.”
Bafana midfielder Siphephelo Sithole suggested that Morocco won’t have it easy either, stressing they need to be in their element to stun the North Africans. “Everybody knows that the game is going to be difficult for both teams but I think if we can bring our A game tomorrow [tonight] we will be able to get the best result. We also need to work as a team,” Sithole noted.
Broos also revealed that Khuliso Mudau and Mothobi Mvala will undergo late fitness tests to determine if they’ll be available after picking up knocks in the last game, a goalless draw against Tunisia last Wednesday.
Bafana’s previous results against Morocco
June 2023: Bafana 2-1 Morocco (Afcon qualifiers)
June 2022: Morocco 2-1 Bafana (Afcon qualifiers)
July 2019: Bafana 0-1 Morocco (Afcon finals in Egypt)
October 2013: Morocco 1-1 Bafana (friendly)
January 2013: Morocco 2-2 Bafana (Afcon finals in Durban)
February 2004: Morocco 1-1 Bafana (Afcon finals in Tunisia)
January 2002: Morocco 1-3 Bafana (Afcon finals in Mali)
February 1998: Bafana 2-1 Morocco (Afcon quarterfinals in Burkina Faso)
Tuesday's fixtures: Mali v Burkina Faso (7pm); Morocco v SA (10pm)
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Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Bafana Bafana tactician Hugo Broos knows beating Morocco, one of the Afcon favourites, will be an uphill battle but the Belgian is still confident SA can stun the first-ranked African nation.
Having seen traditional powerhouses like Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia and Cameroon exit the tournament at the hands of minnows is what makes Broos believe Bafana “can create another surprise”. The coach also banks on the fact that they beat the Atlas Lions last June. These two sides meet in the Afcon last 16 tie at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro tonight (10pm SA time).
“We are aware of a difficult task that’s waiting for us. Morocco are No.1 in Africa, having also been fantastic at the World Cup... they were fourth [at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022],”' Broos said at a media conference at the match’s venue yesterday.
“Their squad is full of high-profile players. It’ll be very difficult but on the other side, this Afcon is full of surprises as we’ve seen a few big countries are already home. A few days ago Cameroon were eliminated, so it’s possible for us to beat Morocco.
“Secondly, we beat Morocco already in June in Johannesburg, where we played a very good game. That makes us believe in ourselves… it’s possible to beat Morocco tomorrow [tonight] but we will have to be at our best to create another surprise at this Afcon.”
Bafana midfielder Siphephelo Sithole suggested that Morocco won’t have it easy either, stressing they need to be in their element to stun the North Africans. “Everybody knows that the game is going to be difficult for both teams but I think if we can bring our A game tomorrow [tonight] we will be able to get the best result. We also need to work as a team,” Sithole noted.
Broos also revealed that Khuliso Mudau and Mothobi Mvala will undergo late fitness tests to determine if they’ll be available after picking up knocks in the last game, a goalless draw against Tunisia last Wednesday.
Bafana’s previous results against Morocco
June 2023: Bafana 2-1 Morocco (Afcon qualifiers)
June 2022: Morocco 2-1 Bafana (Afcon qualifiers)
July 2019: Bafana 0-1 Morocco (Afcon finals in Egypt)
October 2013: Morocco 1-1 Bafana (friendly)
January 2013: Morocco 2-2 Bafana (Afcon finals in Durban)
February 2004: Morocco 1-1 Bafana (Afcon finals in Tunisia)
January 2002: Morocco 1-3 Bafana (Afcon finals in Mali)
February 1998: Bafana 2-1 Morocco (Afcon quarterfinals in Burkina Faso)
Tuesday's fixtures: Mali v Burkina Faso (7pm); Morocco v SA (10pm)
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