{"id":46256,"date":"2025-12-30T10:41:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=46256"},"modified":"2025-12-30T10:41:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:41:58","slug":"three-things-we-learned-from-bafana-bafana-at-afcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/12\/30\/three-things-we-learned-from-bafana-bafana-at-afcon\/","title":{"rendered":"Three things we learned from Bafana Bafana at AFCON"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Bafana Bafana edged Zimbabwe 3-2 in a thrilling encounter to seal qualification for the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the second tournament running.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their six points were enough to secure second place in Group B, finishing behind Egypt. It has not always been convincing from Hugo Broos\u2019 men, but they are safely among the last 16 in Morocco.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ:<\/strong> Bafana coach Broos reiterates dislike of Mbokazi\u2019s MLS move<\/p>\n<p>Phakaaathi football writer Katlego Modiba reflects on three key takeaways from South Africa\u2019s group-stage campaign.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lyle-foster-looks-reborn\"><strong>Lyle Foster looks reborn<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Lyle Foster has been Bafana Bafana\u2019s standout figure in the group phase, scoring twice and supplying key assists as he reminded the continent of his quality. His absence from the previous AFCON due to mental health challenges raised questions about his international future, but the Burnley striker has returned revitalised.<\/p>\n<p>Often criticised for not pressing with the same intensity as Evidence Makgopa, Foster has silenced many doubters. His assist for Oswin Appollis and late thunderbolt against Angola in the 2-1 win underlined his importance and influence. He followed that up with another assist and a crucial goal in the 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe, a decisive moment that ensured Bafana\u2019s progress and right now, he is the heartbeat of the attack.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ngezana-mbokazi-partnership-remains-a-concern\"><strong>Ngezana\u2013Mbokazi partnership remains a concern<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While the attack has shown promise, the centre-back pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mbekezeli Mbokazi has been less reassuring. The duo have looked uncertain at times, and as the tournament enters knockout territory where one mistake can end a campaign, defensive stability becomes non-negotiable.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents are likely to view the pairing as an area to exploit. At the last AFCON, Grant Kekana and Mothobi Mvala formed a solid foundation at the back, and Bafana have yet to replicate that cohesion. Mbokazi has delivered some steady individual moments, but collectively the partnership still feels vulnerable.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-familiar-themba-zwane-question-resurfaces\"><strong>The familiar Themba Zwane question resurfaces<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Sipho Mbule impressed as a No.10 during the World Cup qualifiers, leading many to believe Hugo Broos had finally found a successor to Themba Zwane. However, Mbule has struggled to impose himself with the same authority at the AFCON.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ:<\/strong> OPINION: Hate-watching Bafana is not patriotism<\/p>\n<p>This has resulted in a creative void in Bafana\u2019s build-up play. For years Broos bemoaned the absence of a natural replacement for Zwane who is now deep into the twilight of his career. The national team is once again feeling the pinch without the Mamelodi Sundowns maestro pulling strings between the lines.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#learned #Bafana #Bafana #AFCON<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bafana Bafana edged Zimbabwe 3-2 in a thrilling encounter to seal qualification for the knockout stages of the Africa Cup&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46258,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46256\/revisions\/46258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}