BAFANA Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki doesn’t want to leave it too late to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup Nations (Afcon) and repeat what happened in the previous qualifying campaigns.
Ntseki said they have to wrap things up early, starting with two back-to-back matches against Sao Tome at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday and three days later at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
After two matches, Bafana have three points in these qualifiers after losing 2-0 to Ghana in the opening Group C match before bouncing back by defeating Sudan 1-0. Both qualifiers were played last November.
“The six points are very critical and everybody is aware of that,” said Ntseki.
“We are not the only ones who are under pressure. The media, the president of the country and the president of Safa, we are all looking forward to getting six points.”
The former Under-17 national team coach knows how stressful it was for Bafana to qualify for the 2019 Afcon finals that were held in Egypt. Bafana started that campaign with 2-0 victory over Nigeria in Uyo in what was the first game in charge for former Bafana coach Stuart Baxter, and also the first win in a competitive game against the Super Eagles in June 2017.
They followed that with a dull 0-0 against Libya in September 2018 in Durban.
Bafana then thrashed Seychelles 6-0 at FNB Stadium in which was the biggest win in Bafana history since Mzansi’s readmission to world football in 1992.
But Bafana stumbled to a goalless draw away to lowly Seychelles in the return game. Then Bafana drew 1-1 with Nigeria at FNB Stadium in November 2018.
The pressure then grew on Bafana going to the last game against Libya in Tunisia in March last year.
However, Percy Tau was the country’s hero, netting two goals to see Bafana qualify for the Afcon for the first time since 2015.
“We know if we don’t get the six points (against Sao Tome), we would have disappointed everybody in the country,” said Ntseki.
Ntseki, who has won only two matches in the five he has been in charge, has also assured the nation that he has done his homework on Sao Tomé.
“We have done our plan, we have done our preparations and we are going to execute our plan at training,” added Ntseki.
“We expect the players to respond to it to help them on Friday and on Monday to win both games.”
