Ary May Mahlangu of South Africa during the International Friendly match between South Africa and Angola at Cape Town Stadium on June 16, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)
There is a strong sense of belief around the Bafana Bafana camp ahead of a defining moment in their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday.
South Africa stand on the precipice of missing out on yet another Fifa World Cup showpiece heading into the decisive qualifier fixture against Senegal at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
They sit third with a single point in Group D after one match and need a victory to keep group leaders Senegal at bay.
Talking with confidence laced with bravado, May Mahlangu yesterday said Bafana were not intimidated by the Teranga Lions or their European-based stars.
It’s the sense of belief that Mashaba has been instilling in his team throughout the week, drawing inspiration from past qualifier victories.
“We are not intimidated and as the coach has been saying, it’s 11 against 11 on the pitch,” Mahlangu said.
“We don’t think of the names of the opposition and only think of the roles we need to play during the game.
“It’s going to be an interesting game, but it’s not going to be easy. We have to go there and fight for ourselves and the nation.
“Our aim is to make the country proud as well as to make ourselves happy. We are working hard in training to prepare for the game and we want nothing less than three points.”
While Bafana picked up a point from their 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso, Senegal beat Cape Verde 2-0 and a win tomorrow will stretch their lead.
But Mashaba believes Bafana still hold their destiny in their own hands with five matches to go.
“We started searching for information on Senegal when we got the fixture,” Mashaba said.
“My cellphone is full of the Senegal games. They have played three games up until now and we’ve watched all those games. We’ve seen their dangerous players and their strong points.
“But it’s also dangerous to look at our opposition and forget about our strong and weak points. We have to focus on ourselves and see where we are strong and where we are going to dismantle their strong point. We are ready for them.”
The Teranga Lions, known for the famous victory they recorded against France at the 2002 World Cup finals, have also been doing their homework and are equally optimistic of a positive result.
Source: Kgomosto Sethusha/thenewage
