Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has kept South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup alive, expressing confidence that Benin will not defeat Nigeria in their crucial West African derby on Tuesday.
That is precisely what Bafana Bafana are hoping for — a Nigeria victory over Benin — coupled with a win for South Africa against Rwanda in their own World Cup qualifying clash at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.
Bafana’s qualification hopes took a knock after they were held to a frustrating goalless draw against Zimbabwe in Durban on Friday night.
The match at Moses Mabhida Stadium was one they needed to win to keep pressure on group leaders Benin, who defeated Rwanda in Kigali to strengthen their grip at the top of the standings.
Bafana’s qualification equation is now simple: they must beat Rwanda and hope that Nigeria, who revived their own qualification chances with a win over Lesotho on Friday, defeat Benin in Uyo.
Nigeria could still qualify if Bafana fail to beat Rwanda and they themselves overcome Benin at home.
“Of course, people have doubts now,” said Williams (via sportswire.co.za). “If you look back a month ago, everything was clear for us to qualify for the World Cup — [until FIFA deducted three points from us for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, against Lesotho in March].
“But I still feel everything will work out in our favour, and people need to understand that. I believe in fairy tales.”
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Bafana return to Mbombela Stadium — a venue that carries mixed memories. It was there in 2011 that South Africa mistakenly celebrated qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after drawing with Sierra Leone, unaware that CAF used the head-to-head rule instead of goal difference, which ultimately saw them miss out on the tournament.
“I remember 12 years ago, we had calculators out — and at which stadium? Mbombela,” recalled Williams, who was named Africa’s Best Goalkeeper last year. “And where are we going now? Mbombela again.
“Maybe this is our chance to correct the wrongs from that time. I’m positive, I have faith, and I believe the results will go our way.
“Now it’s for Nigeria to play Benin — and honestly, I can’t see Benin getting a result against Nigeria. But we still have to do our part. We know how important this game is, how tough it will be, and we have the squad to deal with Rwanda.
“There’s a lot of motivation behind this match. Rwanda is the only team [that has beaten us] in this campaign, and we know exactly what they put us through.
“There’s so much working in our favour, and the nation shouldn’t lose hope. Get behind the boys, keep sending those positive messages — we see everything.
“Don’t lose faith until it’s over. Maybe this time, things will fall our way, especially since we’re going back to Mbombela. Hopefully, we can right the wrongs of 12 years ago.
“For me, everything that happened — [the points deduction] — happened for a reason. Now it’s up to us to believe, to fight, and to show that we are a team.”
