Aware of the backlash that followed Bafana Bafana’s 3-1 defeat away to Mauritania in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier two months ago, coach Shakes Mashaba yesterday gave the impression he was a man on a mission ahead of Friday’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Angola.
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Mashaba knows the harsh reality is that the national team is under immense pressure to deliver in back-to-back qualifiers against the same team – they play Palancas Negras next Tuesday as well.
Although Mashaba briefly spoke about Bafana’s tour to Central America in October, where his men held their own in friendly matches against Costa Rica (1-0) and Honduras (1-1), he preferred to discuss the next opposition instead.
“It’s going to be a mission. When we were there some time ago we were told that from Luanda to Benguela (where Bafana will play) it’s another 600km – like from Johannesburg to Durban. Fortunately, the travelling has been made easy,” the coach said.
He, along with his technical team, had been lambasted for being lethargic in their homework ahead of the trip to Nouakchott where they were outplayed by one of Africa’s minnows.
Mashaba was confident of a win, arguing Bafana’s away record was an impressive one. The coach also pulled out statistics to support the claim that his side was ready to participate in any tournament.
Source:iol.co.za
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