Bafana Bafana have shown flashes of brilliance, but also moments of sloppiness in defence during the group stages. They now face one of the continent’s most storied sides in a knockout battle that will define their tournament and must ensure defensive mistakes are eliminated, or at the very least, kept to a minimum.

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Sphephelo Sithole, speaking to iDiski Times, admitted the team needs to improve if they are to progress further.

“For the team as well, we haven’t been in the form of the previous two years. But we spoke about it among the group, and we told ourselves we need to go back to basics in order for us to return to where we were in the previous two years.

If we lose one game, we’re going to go home. So, we need to improve in many aspects and then take it from there,” he added.

Cameroon, five-time AFCON champions, arrive with a youthful squad eager to prove they can carry the weight of the Indomitable Lions’ legacy. Their group stage campaign was impressive as they finished second in Group F without losing a match and only conceding two goals in their three games.

History suggests that this will be a tight battle, as the last three meetings between South Africa and Cameroon ended in stalemates, including a friendly in January 2015 and both 2017 AFCON qualifying fixtures.

For South Africa, the focus will be on maintaining their defensive structure while relying on the likes of Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis to provide the cutting edge in attack. The team has grown in confidence under Hugo Broos, and a victory here would signal that Bafana Bafana are ready to reclaim their place among Africa’s elite and send Broos to his third AFCON quarter final.

Written by Mabongi Gazu