South Africa were able to reach
the quarter-final stage of the
tournament after sealing a 2-2
draw in a scintillating tie against
Morocco, silencing their critics and
finishing top of Group A. Determined to win over their
country's support and a fan
base which has been disappointed
for a decade, Bafana Bafana
showed a fighting spirit which has
led to a burgeoning of praise and belief in a side which many had
written off before the
tournament began. Gordon Igesund's influence has
certainly been one of the defining
factors behind the host's new-
found confidence in front of goal,
but their strength in defence will
be tested by their quarter-final opponents. Bafana set up a clash against
Mali, a side also committed to
providing their fans with
something to hold on to and
cherish, during one of the
country's most difficult periods in their history in the form of a
bloody and destructive civil war
which has torn the Eagles'
homeland to shreds. Football's ability to heighten
spirits and build national pride will
be put to the test on Saturday
night, as both sides will be
motivated to win, but for vastly
different reasons. Bafana Bafana have been boosted
by the news of Lehlonoholo
Majoro's recovery from an injury
he sustained against Angola, but
will have to play without regular
starter Anele Ngongca, who has been suspended for the clash due
to an accumulation of yellow
cards. Kaizer Chiefs full-back Siboniso
Gaxa is likely to be handed a
start on Saturday and is the
obvious replacement for Ngongca
due to his international
experience and current form. South Africa has been successful
when pushing forward and
focusing on using their faster
players such as Tokelo Rantie,
Bernard Parker and Thuso Phala.
They will face a side which plays a slower brand of football, as Mali
will look to control the game and
manoeuvre their way towards
goal, utilising their physicality and
technical ability. The Eagles enter into the match
with a full squad at their disposal,
with captain Seydou Keita aiming
to inspire his team in attack once
again. Keita has called upon his
team-mates to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the embattled
nation. "This qualification will also give a
lot of joy to our country. Giving
hope to the country has been
priceless," Keita told reporters. "There is a crisis in Mali and I did
my best to give hope to those
who are suffering. We have made
an effort to help, but money
doesn't matter. You can't imagine
what it means to play for Mali at this time. I told my government
they could reduce our bonuses.
My priority is to play for my
country." The interesting clash of styles
should provide the sell-out Moses
Mabhida crowd with an intriguing
battle and the winner of the
match will have to face an even
greater test, a semi-final against Cote d'Ivoire or Nigeria.