Bafana Bafana will host Morocco in a final dead rubber Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June, but there is plenty to be gained for both sides from this fixture, writes Nick Said.
South Africa will host Morocco in their final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier safe in the knowledge that their place at the finals in Ivory Coast next
year is secured, and they are now able to use this is a fixture to build towards that tournament.
Victory over Liberia in Monrovia in March means Bafana cannot finish outside the top two in their three- team pool, and so they welcome the 2022 World Cup semifinalists in the knowledge they can play with a little more freedom.
That is when Bafana Bafana perform best, able to get their playmakers on to the ball and spread it about without the pressure of needing to win.
Most coaches on the continent will tell you that Bafana are among the best ‘passing’ teams on the continent, and have been since readmission.
They possess technical quality that surpasses many teams, which makes up, in part, for their lack of physicality and at times fragile mental state.
Morocco should present a huge challenge, but Bafana coach Hugo Broos has been calling for these type of games to help his side develop, as evidenced by their suicide mission to then-world champions France last year, where they were trounced 5–0.
Just what type of squad Morocco brings remains to be seen, they have also already booked their place at the Nations Cup finals and the match comes at the end of a long season for the players.
But even for a side that has reached the World Cup semifinals and beat Brazil in March, Bafana remains a big scalp and they will also be eyeing some more history.
They have only played Bafana in South Africa once before, a 2–2 draw at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals, a result that put Morocco out and sent South Africa into the quarter-finals.
The teams have met on seven prior occasions, with two wins apiece and three draws, though Morocco won the two most recent fixtures.
Broos will be eager to see his charges in action against arguably the best team on the continent and the temptation will be to have a look at fringe players, but in truth, he needs to settle on his combinations for the Nations Cup.
How many games Bafana will have between now and then remains to be seen. SAFA could arrange a second friendly in the window, while there is also the COSAFA Cup that immediately precedes this match against Morocco. There are also two games each in FIFA windows in September, October and November.
With European teams tied up in Euro 2024 qualifiers, it is likely Broos will secure no bigger test than Morocco in that time, which makes this a massive game for him and the players.
Past Meetings:
22 Feb 1998: Morocco 1–2 South Africa
The Cup of Nations quarter-final in Ouagadougou was when Bafana started to get into their stride after squeezing through the group phase. Benni McCarthy opened the scoring, but Saïd Chiba equalised for a Morocco side under ex-France coach Henri Michel. David Nyathi’s 73rd-minute winner remains one of the great goals in Bafana history.
30 Jan 2002: Morocco 1–3 South Africa
After successive goalless draws in Group B at the Cup of Nations finals in Mali, Bafana came alive against a Morocco side who had been wracked by internal division between their home-born players and players born in France of Moroccan heritage. Sibusiso Zuma scored the first goal just before half-time and two quick goals after the break from Thabo Mngomeni and Siyabonga Nomvethe booked Carlos Queiroz’s side a place in the quarterfinals.
4 Feb 2004: Morocco 1–1 South Africa
South Africa had to beat Morocco 4–0 in their last Group D game in Sousse to stand any chance of progressing to the quarterfinals of the Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia. Patrick Mayo’s 29th-minute goal did give Bafana some hope, but a penalty for Morocco nine minutes later brought matters level.
27 Jan 2013: Morocco 2–2 South Africa
A first game between the two countries not on neutral territory, but again at the Cup of Nations finals, hosted by South Africa. Morocco had an early lead, but May Mahlangu equalised. When substitute Abdelilah Hafidi put Morocco back ahead in the 82nd minute, it looked as if Bafana would face an embarrassingly early exit, but Siyabonga Sangweni came to the rescue four minutes later to make it 2–2.
11 Oct 2013: Morocco 1–1 South Africa
A friendly to mark the opening of the new stadium in Agadir was the first non-competitive game between the two countries, with Tokelo Rantie’s first-half strike cancelled out by Issam El Adoua after halftime.
1 July 2019: Morocco 1–0 South Africa
Morocco’s first win over Bafana, who still a managed to squeak through to the last 16 of the Cup of Nations along with Ivory Coast and Morocco from the group. The game in Cairo saw Morocco snatch victory during stoppage time through Mbark Boussoufa.
9 June 2022: Morocco 2–1 South Africa
Morocco made it two in a row as they claimed victory in the reverse fixture in Rabat, though Bafana gave them a scare when they went ahead thanks to an excellent Lyle Foster goal. But they could not hold on as second-half strikes from Youssef En-Nesyri and Ayoub El Kaabi (in the final three minutes) gave the home side the win.
