Bafana braced for Shalulile storm in must-win tie

Namibia captain Peter Shalulile believes knowing some of the Bafana Bafana players from his club, Mamelodi Sundowns, will count for nothing when they meet in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group E match at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Sunday (10pm).

Shalulile will come up against his teammates at Sundowns such as Bafana defenders Mothobi Mvala, Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba.

“You are not guaranteed a win even when you know you play with some guys because the national team is something else, especially the players you play with,” Shalulile told the media.

“But come Sunday, you will never know what type of a game we will bring. If we can bring our A-game, you will never know.

“But I’m always hoping for a result. We are just hoping for the best for us and trying to make it out of the group stages. That’s our aim.”

There are also some familiar faces from Namibia who ply their trade in the Premier Soccer League.

Players like Orlando Pirates’ Deon Hotto, who scored the winner for the Brave Warriors when they stunned Tunisia 1-0 on Tuesday, Lloydt Kazapua (Chippa United), Riaan Hanamub (AmaZulu), Bethuel Muzeu (Black Leopards) and Lubeni Haukongo (Cape Town Spurs) all play in SA.

Shalulile said they would give their best against Bafana as they look for a second win.

“Bafana are a good team, that’s one thing. Good players, we all know, but for us, we take game by game and all we promise ourselves is to pitch up and give our best,” he said.

“By giving your best, you don’t know the outcome.”

Meanwhile, Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena insists the match against Namibia is not a must-win, but that they must avoid defeat at all costs.  

“It’s not really a must-win, I don’t think it is, but we must get a result against Namibia of course. We must not lose,” Mokoena told Safa media.

“We just need to be clinical. If we get one chance to score and we close the game, that’s all we need.”