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It’s one of those games where a “must-win” will be fully applicable in a true sense of this two-word phrase that is commonly used in football.
The South African Under-23s face Ghana in the Afcon third-place place-off at Cairo International Stadium on Friday afternoon, when the bronze medal equates to a golden ticket to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, next year.
Both South African head coach David Notoane and his captain Tercious Malepe concurred that their remaining mission at the junior continental championships was more about the heart and the hunger to get to the Olympics.
Hosts Egypt and Ivory Coast, who will contest the final later on Friday, have already secured their Olympic berths by virtue of being the finalists.
Notoane said his charges have dusted themselves off from the controversial 3-0 loss to Egypt on Tuesday.
“Of course the most important thing is to buy our ticket to Tokyo. We are queueing at the moment, ready for check-in and we’ll see [on Friday] if we are getting into the plane [to Japan] ... Tactics [or] no tactics, I think what matters is to go to Tokyo and I am sure it is the same for Ghana,” said Notoane.
The coach also said he had come to terms with what the team had gone through in Egypt where, despite starting off the tournament with an understrength team, finished second in a group that had defending African champions Nigeria, who failed to advance.
“It’s been a tough journey, especially the last game [against Egypt in the semifinals] – very dramatic and very emotionally draining.”
This is in reference of the controversy-riddled game that put Senegal referee Daouda Gueye in the spotlight for awarding the young Pharoahs a dubious penalty that set the misery for South Africa’s 3-0 annihilation.
“We have been able to pick ourselves up and re-energise to make sure we come with the right spirit and desire to do what is necessary to go through [to the Olympics,” Notoane pointed out.
He said there was not much time to prepare but the players were mentally psyched up for the clash against Ghana, who lost to Ivory Coast on penalties in their semifinal, also on Tuesday.
Added skipper Malepe: “This is a big game for us. We had to recover from the loss against Egypt and we are in the right space at the moment. What is important is the ticket to Tokyo.”
But for South Africa to achieve this, the team must put on their scoring boots to do better than the one goal they have scored in four matches.
The Young Bafana beat Ivory Coast 1-0 courtesy of Teboho Mokoena’s wonder freekick, while their other group stage games against Nigeria and Zambia ended in goalless stalemates.
The South Africa versus Ghana play-off will kick off at 4.30pm.
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