Bafana Bafana badly missed goalie Ronwen Williams in Afcon ...

When South Africa reached the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) earlier this year, one man stood out from his teammates – goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams.

The shot-stopper was vital to Bafana Bafana’s tenacious journey to the last four, helping the South Africans keep an impressive five clean sheets in seven matches. His Afcon heroics have since earned him a historic Ballon d’Or nomination.

How Bafana Bafana would have loved to have had him as they began their quest to qualify for next year’s Afcon in Morocco. South Africa began their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Uganda in Soweto on Friday, 6 September.

They followed this up with a hard-fought 3-2 victory away to South Sudan on Tuesday, 10 September. Attacker Oswin Appollis netted twice, with Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha striking the winner in the final seconds to break South Sudanese hearts after the match seemed set to end in a two-all stalemate.

“We put ourselves in problems today. But in the end, it was a happy ending for us,” said Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos after the match.

“We did play well today. We started off hesitating. We were not in the game… The good Lord upstairs was with us. Even in the game against Uganda [it was the same thing],” the Belgian said.

Promising attack

Over the course of the two crucial games, Broos’s charges displayed great creative impetus. Hence, they were able score five goals against their first two opponents for the 2025 qualifiers.

In fact, with a smidgeon more fortune – coupled with increased efficiency in front of goal – the South Africans could have easily doubled the overall tally they managed to score against the Ugandans and South Sudan.

Stand-in skipper Themba Zwane was particularly key in the constant creation of opportunities, glueing the attackers together with his dainty passes and defence-splitting balls, which winger Appollis in particular was always available to latch on to.

Zwane did a sterling job skippering the charges in the absence of the injured Williams and dropped vice-captain Percy Tau. However, the void left by Williams between the sticks could not quite be filled.

Shaky defence

Veli Mothwa, who started against Uganda, as well as Sipho Chaine – who Broos handed the gloves against South Sudan – could not keep clean sheets, conceding two goals apiece.

Mothwa – who is Williams’s long-time deputy under Broos – was particularly poor against the Uganda Cranes. Broos protected him after the match, saying:

“If Veli does not make that error, then maybe we would have won the game. Those mistakes can happen to every goalkeeper.

It’s not a nice thing when you make a mistake like that. As a keeper, you know what you did wrong and [it] could have cost the game with that blunder. He’s really down for the moment.”

For the trip to Juba, Broos opted to drop Mothwa and rope in Pirates goalkeeper Chaine. Though Chaine did not make any mistake that directly led to a goal, he also conceded twice.

These displays by his deputies went a long way to in highlight just how crucial Williams is to this Bafana Bafana team.

Within the criticism that Mothwa in particular has faced in recent days, it’s important to note that Broos used a completely new centre-back pairing for these two clashes.

At the Afcon earlier this year, the Belgian coach favoured Mamelodi Sundowns’ pair Grant Kekana and Mothobi Mvala. Kekana and Mvala are 31 and 30 years old respectively.

With South Africa aiming to qualify for their first Fifa World Cup since 2010, Broos piloted the slightly more youthful pairing of Romania-based Siyabonga Ngezana (27) and new Kaizer Chiefs signing Rushwin Dortley, who is 22.

The new defensive partners were not necessarily culpable for South Africa conceding four times in two games. However, at times it was evident that it was their first match together. Perhaps having Williams to guide them would have helped their synergy.

Nonetheless, the pair’s connection is promising and Broos is likely to stick with them if they continue playing well for their clubs.

Super subs

Youngsters such as Pirates pair Relebohile Mofokeng and Thalente Mbatha also stepped up when called on from the bench. Their displays will ensure that they remain at the forefront of Broos’s thoughts between now and the next international fixtures.

Central midfielder Mbatha was particularly potent as he scored two goals in two matches. He netted a last-gasp equaliser against Uganda in Orlando.

Against South Sudan, he once again came off the bench and scored in the dying embers of the game. This time he found a winning goal that may prove significant for South Africa in their quest to be in Morocco.

Bafana Bafana are in action next month against the other team in Group K of the Afcon qualifiers, Congo-Brazzaville. 

Having stumbled in their quest for six points during this international window, Broos and his troops will target the back-to-back October fixtures against the central African nation to make amends. DM