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Bafana Bafana will have to beat Uganda in Kampala next month to ensure back-to-back qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations after playing to a 1-1 draw against Congo at Stade Alphonse Massamba-Debat de Brazzaville in Congo on Tuesday.
A win would have ensured Hugo Broos’s side joined Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso and DR Congo among the teams that have qualified for the 2025 Afcon with two games to spare.
Uganda beat South Sudan 2-1 on Tuesday to remain on top of Group K with 10 points and needing just one point to ensure they book their ticket to Morocco; while Bafana remain second and on eight points after they were held in Brazzaville by the team they were expected to wallop after they had trashed them 5-0 in Gqeberha last Friday.
If Bafana fail to get victory in Kampala on November 11 they will have another chance to do so ahead of Congo as long as they beat South Sudan at home on November 19.
Elias Mokwana’s 33rd minute strike gave a deserved lead but poor defending by Bafana’s defence on the stroke of halftime allowed the home side to equalise.
Mokwana’s goal was not an easy one as he had to control a great pass from Aubrey Modiba and beat a couple of defenders before firing a ball which looked to have been saved by Congo keeper Ethan Vimalin but somehow bounce off him and back into the path of Mokwana who made no mistake with his second shot.
By the time Mokwana scored Bafana were in full control of the match and very unlucky not take the lead on three occasions.
Bafana’s talisman Themba Zwane, who unfortunately got injured and was replaced by Patrick Maswanganyi a few minutes after Mokwana had scored, was unlucky to see his strike parried over the bar by Vimalin after Khuliso Mudau and Mokwana had combined well on the right to set Zwane free.
Mokwana was also unlucky not open the score in the 24th minute after the Congo defence let him run through but shot wide after coming on one on one with Vimalin. Bafana defender Rushwin Dortley also saw his header cleared off the line after he had connected well with Oswin Appolli’s corner kick.
But just as it looked like Bafana would go to the break leading, a lapse of concentration by Dortley and Grant Kekana at the back gave Congolese striker Andre Bassouamina enough room to level matters deep into referee’s optional time.
While Congo coach Ngata Isaac made five changes to the team that lost 5-0 to Bafana in Gqeberha on Friday, his counterpart Broos was forced to bring in striker Iqraam Rayners for Lyle Foster who was injured on Friday and didn’t travel with the team to Brazzaville.
Bafana always looked good on the ball, matching their credentials of coming to this match unbeaten in 16 matches.
As usual there were great combinations on the flanks, with Modiba doing very well with Appollis on the left while Mokwana and Mudau were doing the same on the right. It was Congo’s long balls, on a bumpy artificial pitch, which gave Bafana trouble in defending.
Congo started the second half a better side, forcing Bafana to retreat and make mistakes that led to a corner kick which was cleared by Mudau off the line in the 51st minute.
Congo had to win this match to keep their hopes of qualifying alive and came close to finding the winner through their skipper Ganvoula Mboussy but his shot went wide with a few minutes remaining. But just as they were eager to find goals they also left themselves vulnerable to Bafana’s counter.
Though not a satisfactory result, Bafana still have a better chance than Congo to qualify. The Congolese have to win against South Sudan and Uganda to have a chance of overtaking Bafana who are four points ahead going into the last two qualifiers.
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