In their final match of the group stage, Bafana Bafana have something to build on following their 1-1 draw with Czechia in round two. Now they take on second-placed South Korea in a must-win clash in Guadalupe.
South Korea will be a massive test. They boast some of the biggest stars in world football – Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga-winning centre back Kim Min-jae, PSG’s back-to-back Champions League winner Lee Kang-in, and their captain and superstar Son Heung-min, one of Europe’s top attackers for over a decade.
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This is the kind of quality and pedigree we simply do not have in our own squad, and it is why I believe this will be one of the toughest tests Bafana face in this group, potentially tougher than Mexico.
My pick as man of the match is South Africa’s captain and keeper, Ronwen Williams. Against attackers of that calibre, we will need his shot-stopping and leadership more than ever. The Mamelodi Sundowns No 1 has been immense in goal, even though he has failed to keep a clean sheet.
For at least two of the three goals South Africa have conceded, fatal individual errors at the back have been at play, something out of his hands. In Mexico, he kept the result to just a defeat where on another day it could have been a humiliation. Against Czechia, when called into action, he delivered again.
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This is the kind of fixture that demands the most of players, and Williams has stepped up before. In his previous two AFCON campaigns, he has not only kept Bafana Bafana in matches, he has won them. A record-breaking penalty shootout, some near-impossible stops – this is potentially the biggest game of his career, but at every other challenge he has risen to the occasion.
We need Williams’ leadership, confidence and composure if we want any chance of making history. A draw is not enough. A loss sends us home. A win needs to be non-negotiable.
Photo: Reuters/Brett Davis
