It’s make or break for Bafana

ALEXANDRIA – South Africa will be hard pressed to get a result today against defending champions Tunisia if they are to go beyond the first round of the 2006 African Nations Cup.

Ted Dumitru, who was drafted to the team as a replacement for English coach Stuart Baxter just weeks to the kick-off of this tournament, has no illusions that his team of experienced stars mixed with some exciting talent from the local league have to win to stay in contention for a place in the last eight. “It will be a totally different team against Tunisia.We know they are the defending champions but we have everything to lose if we don’t win this game,” said Dumitru after his team’s 2-0 loss to unfancied Guinea.”We have to be different in terms of commitment, attitude and our play.I think the players got carried away with the result of our friendly match against Egypt and this needs to be corrected immediately.””We must go out and beat both Tunisia and Zambia.Tunisia play like Egypt, they like to go forward and so will give us the space to exploit and score goals,” added skipper Sibusiso Zuma.Ten years ago, Bafana Bafana, which means ‘the boys’, beat a Tunisian side 2-1 to become Africans champions in only their first try.It was a deserved triumph made possible by the creativity of John ‘Shoes’ Mosheu and Doctor Khumalo, the leadership of skipper Neil Tovey and, of course, the Madiba magic as the country’s then President Nelson Mandela personally adopted the team.Ten years is a very long time especially in football.Two years ago, Tunisia annexed their first Nations Cup crown in front of a partisan home crowd while South Africa for the first time failed to go past the group stages of the tournament.In their opening game against Guinea, South Africa lacked the cutting edge even with a proven attack that paraded Bennie McCarthy and Zuma supported by the ever lively Siyabonga Nomvete.Tunisia, on the hand, showed the stuff champions are made of when they fought back from an early Zambian goal to win 4-1 with Brazilian-born Dos Santos grabbing a hat-trick.Adel Chedli was outstanding in the demolition of the Chipolopolo with his long balls and lively contributions from midfield.And the 29-year-old player has insisted that the Carthage Eagles are focused on successfully defending their crown here in Egypt.”My wife just gave birth to our third child but I have had to leave my family behind so as to be here.It shows that I’m willing to make all the sacrifices necessary for us to be champions again,” said Chedli, who surprisingly has been overlooked at his German club FC Nuremberg this season.Former Bafana captain Mbulelo Mabizela appears to have regained some of the form that earned him a transfer to English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspurs three years ago but up against a pacy attack led by Dos Santos and Ziad Jaziri, a lot more would be required of him against this rampant strike force.See more AFCON stories on p25 – Nampa-AFP”It will be a totally different team against Tunisia.We know they are the defending champions but we have everything to lose if we don’t win this game,” said Dumitru after his team’s 2-0 loss to unfancied Guinea.”We have to be different in terms of commitment, attitude and our play.I think the players got carried away with the result of our friendly match against Egypt and this needs to be corrected immediately.””We must go out and beat both Tunisia and Zambia.Tunisia play like Egypt, they like to go forward and so will give us the space to exploit and score goals,” added skipper Sibusiso Zuma.Ten years ago, Bafana Bafana, which means ‘the boys’, beat a Tunisian side 2-1 to become Africans champions in only their first try.It was a deserved triumph made possible by the creativity of John ‘Shoes’ Mosheu and Doctor Khumalo, the leadership of skipper Neil Tovey and, of course, the Madiba magic as the country’s then President Nelson Mandela personally adopted the team.Ten years is a very long time especially in football.Two years ago, Tunisia annexed their first Nations Cup crown in front of a partisan home crowd while South Africa for the first time failed to go past the group stages of the tournament.In their opening game against Guinea, South Africa lacked the cutting edge even with a proven attack that paraded Bennie McCarthy and Zuma supported by the ever lively Siyabonga Nomvete.Tunisia, on the hand, showed the stuff champions are made of when they fought back from an early Zambian goal to win 4-1 with Brazilian-born Dos Santos grabbing a hat-trick.Adel Chedli was outstanding in the demolition of the Chipolopolo with his long balls and lively contributions from midfield.And the 29-year-old player has insisted that the Carthage Eagles are focused on successfully defending their crown here in Egypt.”My wife just gave birth to our third child but I have had to leave my family behind so as to be here.It shows that I’m willing to make all the sacrifices necessary for us to be champions again,” said Chedli, who surprisingly has been overlooked at his German club FC Nuremberg this season.Former Bafana captain Mbulelo Mabizela appears to have regained some of the form that earned him a transfer to English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspurs three years ago but up against a pacy attack led by Dos Santos and Ziad Jaziri, a lot more would be required of him against this rampant strike force.See more AFCON stories on p25 – Nampa-AFP