The entire country have thrown their support behind Bafana Bafana who secured a historic victory against the number 1 African team, Morocco, to advance to the AFCON quarterfinals.
Bafana Bafana beat Morocco 2-0 at Stade Laurent Pokou in Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.
It was a match that was viewed by the whole world, and the South African senior men’s team held their composure to put up a solid display that knocked out the favorites. Both Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena scored in the second half.
South Africans have been celebrating the victory, with the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa saying the win shows what our national teams can achieve with the support of South Africans.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s message to the team before the Morocco game may just have been the impetus they needed to perform at their best:
He has called on all citizens to continue to support Bafana Bafana as they prepare to face Cape Verde this Saturday night, 3 February in the AFCON 2023 quarterfinals.
The Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa, also known as Cabo Verde or the Republic of Cabo Verde, are one of the big surprise packages at AFCON.
In the group stages, Cape Verde got the better of Ghana and Mozambique and then drew 2-2 with Egypt on matchday 3. They dispatched Mauritania 1-0 in the round of 16 to set up a quarter-final battle with South Africa.
Indeed, there is a renewed sense of support for Bafana Bafana, as the country is still riding high on recent sporting victories, including the Rugby World Cup and celebrating our first ever UFC champion Dricus du Plessis.
Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie ! 🇿🇦🙌🏾 https://t.co/vApYPbNxnD
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) January 31, 2024
Coach Jacques Nienaber’s support did also not go unnoticed:
Well done Bafana Bafana. Supporting you from the UK. It might not be a 100 inch TV but worth every second of viewing. pic.twitter.com/BNVV5W1NlU
— Jacques Nienaber (@jacnienaber) January 30, 2024
Bafana Coach Hugo Broos may have had a tough run, but he will be proud of his charges as they’ve built the momentum, although the challenge will be to keep going:
𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗗!
Watch Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos’ message to Evidence Makgopa's doubters after his goal in the epic victory against Morocco.#FARPost #AFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/7biHcJEJGd
— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) February 1, 2024
I found someone who's Grey hair is well certainly cooler than mine…Well done Coach a fantastic performance by the boys tonight…Quarter Finals here we come…Bafana Bafana🙏🙏👍👍 pic.twitter.com/hKVT9uoZA9
— Mark Fish (@markfish74) January 31, 2024
Bafana Bafana got some great kudos from former coach Pitso Mosimane:
Tebogo Mokoena! What a player. The free kick he scored, was just the icing on the cake! He stepped on every grass leaf on the pitch.
Bossing the midfield. No arguments , SA is one of the most tactically disciplined team in the tournament.
No frills , just grinding.
💪🏿🇿🇦…— Pitso Mosimane (@TheRealPitso) January 30, 2024
CHAMPIONS! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Come closer! Bafana Bafana did the things! Oh, and I’m getting a new jersey today so please calm down about this old one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #AFCON2023 #BafanaBafana #Morocco #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/Pgskii5vV5
— Rory Petzer (@RoryPetzer) January 31, 2024
Thank you South Africa 🇿🇦 – for the messages, the memes, and being a part of the memories! #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 #AFCON2023 #BafanaPride 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/eMnZ0XQiKu
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) January 30, 2024
The quarterfinals against Cape Verde kicks off at 22:00 this Saturday, 3 February and will be on SABC.
