South Africa made it two wins out of two in their recent FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin. Hugo Broos’ side secured successive 2-0 wins that leaves them sitting pretty at the top of Group C with a five-point lead and four fixtures to play.
Bafana have put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the footballing showpiece for the first time since South Africa hosted the first World Cup on African soil in 2010.
Bafana collect all six points Broos wanted before the international break
Bafana’s Belgian tactician, Hugo Broos, put a lot of emphasis on the need for his side to take maximum points from their clashes with Lesotho and Benin prior to the international break and his team delivered. Bafana’s resurgence under their Belgian tactician took another major leap in the last round of World Cup Qualifiers as South Africa extended their unbeaten run. The national team has been on the up since the Broos took charge and that progress was evident after their third place finish at last years AFCON.
Bold Bafana stretch impressive unbeaten run
South Africa’s consistency and overall style of play has been pleasing on the eye when compared to recent history. The team runs like a well-oiled machine with a clear identity and togetherness that’s clearly been lacking in the past. Now, a side characterized by discipline and dynamism they’ve gone on an unbeaten run of 18 matches with the 2-0 success over Benin in Abidjan. For context, Bafana’s last defeat came on January 16 th last year and their unbeaten run puts them among the world’s best. Only Senegal and Spain can boast longer unbeaten runs than South Africa on the international scene.
Broos’ Bafana climb up the FIFA rankings
Hugo Broos and his team’s recent successes on the pitch have helped mend the disconnected relationship between the team and its supporters. Bafana is once again a team held in high regard and spoken about with pride by South Africans. World Cup qualification looks a strong possibility but the team’s performances have seen them move up the FIFA rankings yet again. Broos’ side only moved up one place in the FIFA rankings with South Africa now up to 56th place. More importantly, that means Bafana break into the top ten of African nations. Morocco remain the highest-ranked African side in 12th , followed by Senegal in 19th and Egypt in 32nd.
Mokoena debacle the only blemish on Bafana’s recent run of successes
Despite the ‘feel good factor’ being back with Bafana, there’s one issue currently hanging over Hugo Broos and his team. Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena’s eligibility was called into question following last month’s 2-0 win over Lesotho. And administrative blunder saw the team selecting Mokoena, who should’ve served a suspension for picking up two yellow cards in the qualifying campaign. How that was missed by the management team remains a mystery but that potential own goal could have seen South Africa being docked points. Lesotho’s Football Association secretary general, Mokhosi Mohapi, subsequently sent a message to the South African Football Association stating that:
We are not considering any action against Bafana Bafana.
Even if Bafana were docked points, they’d still be at the top of Group C with a two-point lead when the qualifiers resume in September but an administrative blunder of that magnitude cannot go unpunished – someone needs to be held accountable. South African football and Bafana’s progress can’t afford to be undone by undercooked performances at management level, it’s unfair on Broos and his players.
