BafanaBafana coach Hugo Broos has challenged his manne to do a Springboks against Ivory Coast on Tuesday at 9pm.
South Africa face off with the Afcon hosts in Abidjan in a friendly at the revamped 50 000-seater Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.
And like the Boks beat Rugby World Cup hosts France in a breathless Paris quarterfinal on Sunday night, Bafana will have to silence the crowd, front up to the Elephants stars and make South Africa proud.
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Speaking to the Safa media team from their Abidjan camp on Monday, Broos says: “We will be confronted with one of the best teams in Africa.
“Because they are hosts, they will look to go far in the competition. And we will play in a full stadium.
“When you see the other team of South Africa [the Boks], the passion and the way they play their game, we have a lot to learn from them.”
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— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) October 16, 2023
After labelling Friday’s goalless draw with minnows eSwatini “a disaster”, the Belgian tactician urged his manne to “take revenge” after a disappointing performance.
With captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams back from an ankle niggle, he adds: “We know it was bad [on Friday] but on Tuesday we must take our revenge against Ivory Coast.”
Elephants boss Jean Louis Gasset will call on his big guns in captain Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Franck Kessie, Sebastien Haller and Wilfried Zaha after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco.
Gasset says of Tuesday night’s clash: “Bafana Bafana and Cote d’Ivoire, and all the teams are on the same level in Africa, we will try to play with the same team.”