History has a way of repeating itself—and for Bafana Bafana, it’s not the kind of déjà vu they’d hoped for. Months after failing to break down a 10-man Zimbabwe side, South Africa once again stumbled, this time against Egypt, in a clash that revealed troubling tactical cracks.
Coming into the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Bafana were tipped as one of the tournament’s top-four favourites. But after two uninspiring performances, their semi-final dreams are beginning to fade.
Their narrow 2-1 win over Angola was already a warning sign: a victory on paper, but far from convincing on the pitch. Against Egypt, the flaws were laid bare.
🔥 Egypt Clash: A Familiar Script From the opening whistle, Hugo Broos’ men looked blunt in attack. Even before Mohamed Salah’s controversial penalty, South Africa never seemed likely to score.
When Egypt went down to 10 men just before halftime, hope flickered. With 45 minutes to exploit their advantage, Bafana had the perfect chance to turn the tide.
Instead, within 10 minutes of the restart, the game felt eerily familiar—echoing their World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe, where they failed to score despite playing against 10 men for over half an hour.
🚨 A Tactical Blind Spot The pattern is clear: Bafana struggle against compact, defensive teams. When opponents “park the bus,” South Africa appear short of ideas, unable to break down the wall in front of them.
Unless this weakness is addressed, any side willing to sit deep will continue to frustrate them—forcing stalemates, or worse, pushing matches into penalty shootouts.
🎯 What’s Next? After their dramatic defeat to Egypt, Bafana now face Zimbabwe in their final group-stage encounter. The stakes couldn’t be higher: not only must they win, but they must prove they can finally conquer the challenge of breaking down 10-man sides.
For a team once hailed as AFCON favourites, the question now is whether they can rediscover their bite—or whether history will repeat itself yet again.