‘Our mindset is on the right track against Namibia,’ says South African star

Sphephelo Sithole, a midfielder for Bafana Bafana, has reassured the country that he and his colleagues are still focused on winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), even after their disappointing opening match.

The South African national team lost 2-0 against Mali on Tuesday night in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.

The 24-year-old, also known as “Yaya“, spoke to the SA Football Association media department alongside midfield partner Teboho Mokoena, having had an opportunity to reflect on and assess Bafana’s shortfalls of a few nights ago against Mali.

“I think the gents have been positive after the loss that we had, so I think our mindset is on the right track because we are fully focused on the coming game (against Namibia on Sunday),” said Sithole.

“Our first game was more difficult because the opponents knew what our threat was. But in the first half, we dominated the game.

“Coming into the second half, the changes they made actually made their team look better.

“They were also more aggressive than us, and that helped them beat us,” he explained.

Bafana will take on Namibia in their next game, a team that created history on Tuesday by defeating Tunisia 1-0 to win their first Afcon. With a point differential of one, SA can potentially tie Namibia in the group.

Even though Bafana is in a dangerous situation, Mokoena stated that they would approach Sunday’s encounter against the Brave Warriors to avoid another loss rather than viewing it as a must-win.

“It’s not really a must-win, but we must get a positive result against Namibia.

“Of course, I won’t be happy (if we don’t win), but we definitely should not lose,” he said.