South Africa will travel to face Benin at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire. It is a must-win game for Bafana Bafana in FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Benin are coming off the back of a draw to Zimbabwe, ironically at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. Meanwhile, South Africa heads into this clash off the back of a COSAFA derby against Lesotho in Polokwane.
Hugo Broos’ men will be looking to defend the top spot in CAF FIFA World Cup qualifiers Group C. South Africa has only just earned it in a tightly-contested group.
Bafana Bafana’s Lesotho Win
South Africa showed its quality in a 2-0 win over Lesotho on Friday, which showed that it dominated from start to finish.
Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng had his fair share of chances in the opening stages, including one after being played in behind in the eighth minute. However, Bafana Bafana failed to put one away in the first half and the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Almost on the stroke of the hour, Mofokeng finally broke the deadlock to put Bafana Bafana one goal to the good. Not long afterwards, Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams capitalised after some superb interplay in and around the area. Bafana were 2-0 up and just about home and dry given how they controlled the tempo.
Benin Aim for Top Spot
Benin recently drew 2-2 to Zimbabwe, leaving them with eight points from five matches. At this point, they are serious contenders for top spot in Group C, which would guarantee their passage to the FIFA World Cup.
The nine group winners will advance to the tournament while the winner of a four-team knockout tournament comprising the four best runners-up will play in an inter-confederation playoff tournament.
In Benin’s clash with the Warriors, Steve Mounie, formerly of Huddersfield Town and currently FC Augsburg, opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Dodo Dokou then doubled the lead in the 35th.
Wolves’ Marshall Munetsi pulled one back for Zimbabwe right before half-time. Former Kaizer Chiefs star Knowledge Musona made it 2-2 in the 59th minute and that was how the match ended.
Benin lost ground to Bafana in the race for the top spot. However, due to Rwanda’s 2-0 loss to Nigeria, they are currently in second place. Bafana has 10 points from five games while Benin have eight.
Growing Chemistry in Bafana Squad
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams alluded when talking to the press to the chemistry between the players. He revealed ahead of Bafana’s win over Lesotho that Relebohile Mofokeng had asked him about an injury he had sustained even while the pair were competing at club level.
Mofokeng’s Orlando Pirates (10.68) and Williams’ Mamelodi Sundowns (1.02) are locked in a fierce South African Premiership title race which has soccer betting aficionados and fans on the edge of their seats.
“The slight injury that I had has done me wonders and just receiving a message from Rele Mofokeng, of all people, messaging me, saying ‘skips, what’s going on, I see you’re not playing’, it just made me feel so happy,” he said.
“I got goosebumps when I saw him send me that message and yet we were gonna come up against each other in a week.
“So, it [the break] has done me wonders, honestly speaking. It refreshed me, it’s given me time to just sit back, missed a game and hopefully re-energised in this business end that’s coming up for club and country.
“I’m excited and looking forward to the big games coming up now.”
The bonds between the players seem to be working in South Africa’s favour and they are playing probably their best soccer in recent years.
Conclusion: A Mouthwatering Bafana Clash
Bafana Bafana has everything to play for heading into this fixture. With half of their World Cup qualifying first-round fixtures done, they will not want to concede their advantage in the race for an automatic passage into the second round.
Hugo Broos will rely on stars such as Relebohile Mofokeng and the newfound chemistry in his team. Benin can catch them out with the likes of Steve Mounie. It may not be an easy game for Bafana Bafana in Côte d’Ivoire, but they will fancy their chances.
