BAFANA Bafana have shut out the public’s negative assessment of their African Nations Cup warm-up matches and are trying to quickly resolve their scoring problems before the opening match on Saturday.
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| Gordon Igesund : Bafana Head Coach |
Khune and his team-mates failed to register a win in Bafana’s two friendly games last week. They were beaten 1-0 by a young Norway side and held to a goalless draw by fellow Nations Cup participants Algeria.
There has been an uproar over Bafana’s failure to score, especially with coach Gordon Igesund having been given the mandate to reach at least the semifinals.
Khune is aware Bafana’s friendly matches have been uninspiring. "We don’t know what’s going on out there because we are in camp," he said after sweating it out at Orlando Stadium following a Bafana training session.
"All we are focused on is ourselves as players. But we have a duty, and our duty is to win games and make the nation proud."
From Monday’s session, it was clear Igesund aimed at seeing more scoring chances converted. But fans would be happier to see the end product in a match situation.
"Most of the teams coming to play Bafana are well organised," Khune said. "They know Bafana are deadly in front of goal and they have been better at defending than we have been (at) going forward.
"We have been working on finishing since the coach took over. It’s not that we are now working on it five days prior to the tournament.
"A team needs to score to win games," Khune said.
Igesund has dismissed concern about fluffed opportunities, mainly by strikers Katlego Mphela, Tokelo Rantie and Bernard Parker. The coach said Bafana would score enough goals to win against Cape Verde. Khune agrees.
"If we just focus on the 90 minutes against Cape Verde, and not concern ourselves with other (future) games, we will win," the goalkeeper said. "We also need to ignore the pressure because it is there whether we win or lose."
Bafana’s other Group A opponents are Angola and Morocco, whom they will face at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on January 23 and 27 respectively.
Meanwhile, 26 South Africa-based footballers will compete in the African Nations Cup, most of them in the Bafana squad with others representing Ghana, Niger, Togo and defending champions Zambia.
Kaizer Chiefs, with seven players in the South Africa squad, have the biggest single representation, followed by five for champions Orlando Pirates, including Zambia marksman Collins Mbesuma.
The tournament will feature players formerly in the Premier Soccer League such as Chris Katongo, Isaac Chansa and James Chamanga of Zambia, and former Free State defender Jonathan Mensah, now first choice at centre-back for Ghana’s Black Stars. Ghana have also picked Mohamed Awal of Maritzburg United in their 23-man squad.
Source :BDlive.co.za
Tags : bafana, preparations, afcon, afcon 2013,
With Mark Gleeson
