BAFANA BAFANA will face an uphill battle in the Last 32 of the World Cup as they will face one of the three host countries, Canada, at the Los Angeles Stadium tomorrow at 9pm.
Hugo Broos’ team finished second in Group A with four points after defeating Korea Republic 1-0 in Monterrey on Thursday morning.
In the opening game, it was defeated by another host, namely Mexico, 2-0, and in the second game, it drew 1-1 with Czechia.
Canada also finished second in Group B after opening the tournament by drawing 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina, beating Qatar 6-0, and then losing to Switzerland 2-1.
Both teams will be playing in the World Cup playoffs.
As the local team is playing for the fourth time in this tournament, Canada is playing for the third time. In 1986 and 2022 it went out of the group stage without getting a point. Going through the group stage this time clearly shows that they have raised the level and it has worked for them to play at home as well.
Bafana’s form before the World Cup left questions since they entered the tournament without a single win in the five games they played this year.
In January, it was defeated by Cameroon in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations, and it drew 1-1 with Panama in Durban before losing to this country 2-1 in Cape Town in March.
The last two World Cup preparation games did not bring back hope when Hugo Broos’ team was held 0-0 by Nicaragua before playing in a 1-1 draw with Jamaica.
Something similar happened to Canada in the games before the World Cup, with Iceland 2-2, Tunisia 0-0 and the Republic of Ireland 1-1. The match to prepare for this tournament, which they won, was against Uzbekistan at the beginning of this month, and they won 2-0.
The most dangerous players for Canada are its two strikers, Jonathan David who has scored three goals in this World Cup and Cyle Larin who has two.
However, the local team needs to close with the dangerous wing players who feed the foals, including Stephen Eustáquio, Tajon Buchanan and Nathan Saliba.
This team trained by the coach of the United States, Jesse Marsch, is used to organizing themselves in a 4-4-2 formation, which means that Bafana needs to ensure that they do not find a deficit in the stomach.
Another thing that should encourage Bafana in this game is that Canada has shown that they have weaknesses at the back, especially in the sides where Alistair Johnston and Richie Laryea are playing. This is the area that the local team can use as they have fast attacking players like Thapelo Maseko, Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi.
Although Canada is ranked 30th in the world, which is a much better place compared to Bafana who are in 60th place, the type of football they play will not bother Bafana that much if they continue to be determined.