South Africa’s Bafana Bafana to tame Morocco’s Atlas Lions

The bar has been set so high for Bafana Bafana, and one wonders if they will bring their big match temperament, which is required on Tuesday night when they face the Atlas Lions of Morocco at the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire.

Morocco and Bafana are expected to lock horns in an eagerly anticipated Afcon Round of 16 encounter at 22:00 CAT (GMT +2).

South African rugby team, the Springboks, have raised the bar so high that Bafana might find it hard to emulate the Boks, and the pressure is on for the 1996 AFCON Champions to bring the trophy home.

World Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) Dricus du Plessis has not made it easy for Bafana either.

There is an expectation from South African football fanatics to better what the new UFC Middleweight champion has achieved at the UFC297 in Toronto Canada.

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The match against Atlas Lions is where the two sides resume their newly-found rivalry, having already met twice since 2022.

Bafana lost 2-1 away to Morocco in qualifiers for this Afcon before beating the Atlas Lions 2-1 in the return fixture in June 2023.

Head coach Walid Regragui said Morocco’s Atlas Lions should be vigilant during their round of 16 match against South Africa.

“We have no room for error, any mistake will eliminate us from the competition, and we will be out,” Regragui said, emphasising that the Atlas Lions are ready for this “tough game.”

Hugo Broos, South Africa’s head coach, acknowledges the challenges awaiting his team.

He, however, has the confidence that Bafana Bafana can make another surprise in the AFCON.

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“If we beat Morocco we have a big chance to play in the final, we will know we have beaten a very good team, and in the next round we will avoid a big team,” the Citizen reported Broos as saying last week.

There have been too many surprises in this year’s AFCON Total Energies edition.

Hosts Ivory Coast eliminated reigning champions Senegal in a penalty shootout to book their place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals following a 1-1 draw after extra time in Yamoussoukro yesterday.

Franck Kessie, who had scored from the spot four minutes from the end of normal time, converted the winning penalty to seal an extraordinary victory for the hosts, who redeemed themselves after a humiliating group-stage display culminating in two defeats.

It remains to be seen if that will propel Bafana Bafana in their quest for AFCON glory.