Bafana Bafana eliminated from Afcon after falling to Cameroon in Rabat

Bafana Bafana squeezed their way through the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) group stages. But their luck ran out in the round of 16 when they were vanquished 2-1 by Cameroon in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.

It was a clash of former African champions, with Cameroon boasting a massive five Afcon gold medals to Bafana Bafana’s single gold, which came three decades ago.

The early stages of the match were frantic as both teams displayed urgency, hoping to earn the ascendancy. South Africa had the better chances during that period, but they failed to capitalise.

During that early fracas, the Indomitable Lions were dealt a blow as Darlin Yongwa had to be substituted after 21 minutes due to injury. He was replaced by Aboubakar Nagida.

Indomitable Lions strike

Despite this early setback, the Indomitable Lions roared into the lead through a Junior Tchamadeu strike in the 34th minute. The South Africans failed to clear their line from a corner kick and England-based Tchamadeu reacted quickest in that ping-pong moment.

Striker Christian Kofane then doubled Cameroon’s lead via a header two minutes into the second stanza. The South Africans were once again punished after failing to adequately deal with the danger posed by a corner kick.

They attempted a fight-back. However, the chances they created were regularly thwarted by Indomitable Lions goalkeeper Devis Epassy, until Evidence Makgopa latched on to an Aubrey Modiba cross with two minutes left until the full 90.

But it was too little too late for the South Africans as Cameroon held on to move into the quarterfinal stage.

History lesson

It was the 10th tussle between the nations, with South Africa enjoying the majority bragging rights from the previous nine encounters. Before this latest clash, South Africa boasted three wins to Cameroon’s solitary success. The other five encounters ended in a stalemate.

It was only the second time the two teams had met at Afcon. The first encounter came in what was South Africa’s maiden Afcon campaign after a lengthy ban from the sport due to apartheid. That group-stage match ended 3-0 in favour of Bafana Bafana in Johannesburg.

The emphatic victory set the tone for what would be a memorable Afcon campaign for Bafana Bafana, as they went on to win the continental tournament during their first-ever participation.

Coincidentally, Cameroon was also Bafana Bafana’s first opponent on the back of South Africa’s readmission to the international sports arena following the repeal of several key apartheid policies.

That friendly match, played in Durban, ended with a 1-0 win for Bafana Bafana. The victory came thanks to a Doctor Khumalo goal. Cameroon’s sole win against Bafana Bafana before the Afcon clash in Rabat came in the reverse fixture of that friendly series, with the Indomitable Lions claiming a 2-1 win.

Broos bellows

Heading into the match, Bafana Bafana coach Broos had lamented that his team had to travel a total of 90 minutes when heading to training from their Rabat base. The experienced Belgian said, in what is his third Afcon appearance, that it was the first time he had experienced anything like this.

“I’m not so happy with the current situation. We are 45 minutes away from our training pitch. So, that means 45 minutes to drive there, one hour and 15 minutes of training, then another 45 minutes to drive back,” Broos said.

“Such things don’t make me happy,” Broos continued. “In a tournament like the Afcon, training pitches should be closer to the hotel than 45 minutes away. We lose an hour-and-a-half travelling by bus.”

“This has never happened before. I was in Gabon [in 2017 with Cameroon]. I was in Ivory Coast [with Bafana], it’s never happened. Until now in Morocco, I’ve never had to drive more than 15-20 minutes. The training pitch should have been closer to the hotel. But it is what it is,” the 73-year-old said.

After their win over Broos’s men, the Cameroonians will face Afcon host nation Morocco. The Atlas Lions preyed on Tanzania after a tense stand-off, winning 1-0 to reach the quarterfinals. DM