Guinea's victory over Kenya affects Bafana Bafana's qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations

During the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, Duke Abuya from Kenya will face Ali Ibrahim from Eritrea at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi this weekend. Although Eritrea may not have the high profile of Guinea or South Africa, the 'Camels of the Red Sea' have already demonstrated that they should not be underestimated ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualifier match on Wednesday.

South Africa will play against Eritrea at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday, September 30th. The Bafana team aims to continue its success after the first victory over Guinea. Meanwhile, Eritrea earned a valuable point in its first group stage match, drawing with Kenya in Nairobi.

Initially, Eritrea was on track to secure all three points after Nahom Netabai opened the scoring, but Kenya equalized in the 87th minute thanks to Ryan Ogamu. Eritrea's own federation characterized the first half as strong.

Team in Transition

The Eritrean national team is undergoing a transformation under the guidance of Egyptian coach Hesham Yakan, who is the first foreign coach in the country in 18 years. Yakan is leading a significant change in player selection, as Eritrea is attracting more players who play for foreign clubs, aiming to strengthen the national team.

The AFCON squad, consisting of 30 players, mainly comprises players based abroad, with only three players from domestic Eritrean clubs: captain Abel Teklezgi, Nahom Tadse, and forward Romel Abdu. This change is partly due to long-standing issues with player defection in Eritrea and difficulties related to the infrastructure of local football.

Inability to Play at Home

Although Bafana will technically be playing away on Wednesday, Eritrea will not gain the traditional advantage of home ground. The 'Camels of the Red Sea' currently do not have a CAF-approved stadium, forcing them to host their home qualifier match in Cairo. The Eritrean national team arrived in Egypt on Monday after traveling from Kenya and is now preparing for the second match of Group D.

Chasing First AFCON Appearance

Eritrea has never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations. Therefore, its return to the AFCON qualification group stage is highly significant. The 'Camels of the Red Sea' returned to this stage of competition for the first time since the 2008 qualifiers. They first had to go through a preliminary round, where they defeated Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate over two matches, to reach the group phase.

They are now in a difficult Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Kenya. Since Kenya is automatically qualified as one of the three host countries for 2027, along with Uganda and Tanzania, only one of South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea can win the remaining spot in the qualification from this group. This makes the match on Wednesday particularly important.

The Bafana Bafana team began its journey in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers by defeating Guinea at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday afternoon. Despite adopting changes for this new era, the team maintained the core values established over the past years.

Pitso Mosimane, leading his second mission, did not start the match perfectly, although he made a respectable beginning. His team appeared transitional, and both he and the players experienced tense moments. Mosimane remained a reserved figure on the sidelines for most of the time, occasionally checking the situation, applauding the regaining of possession, and welcoming two goals from Ime Okona and Samukele Kabini. He resembled a student and spectator more than a leader.

This freedom sometimes proved to be a double-edged sword for the team. The players seemed uncertain, finding it difficult to play freely as they repeatedly apologized to substitutes for every clumsy tackle attempt or lost ball during the day.

Since Mosimane had only been training the team for a week, it was clear that he had not yet established his philosophy. Players often lost possession, allowing the Guineans to create tense defensive moments. Although Mosimane was pleased with the play and Okona's goal, the central defender was sometimes in the attacking half of the field unusually, often against the flow of the game, which put pressure on his defensive line.

His drive to advance and assist in attack also led him to have to return backward. In one instance, he failed to cope, making a dangerous tackle in front of the goal, which resulted in a free kick and a yellow card.

In the first half of the match, Relebokhile Mofokeng looked flawless, but he lacked support. Oswin Apollos tried to find open spaces but could not break through. Mosimane even noted that Apollos needed to improve his defensive play at certain times, rather than just staying up front.

Kamogelo Sebelebele's uncertainty about whether to push forward or stay back during ball circulation caused problems at the start of the first half, when Guinea disrupted the game and started high pressing, and Aliou Baldé created various problems for him on the flanks.

However, after Guinea equalized, the true Bafana of the last five years emerged. The team demonstrated character and an unyielding determination in the search for the winning goal, and captain Ronwen Williams also called on fans to support the team.

This happened. A player who previously showed uncertainty and was somewhat raw displayed maturity under Mosimane's leadership. Kabini brilliantly capitalized on his substitution, scoring the winning goal and demonstrating impressive returns. He didn't just fit into a struggling defense; the team also found its rhythm. Shpefelo Sithole reminded everyone why he was one of the best midfielders in the team at AFCON 2023 before his progress was halted by injury.

Despite the game not being perfect and having too many controversial moments, which highlights the team's transitional period, some effective qualities of the play were shown, helping the team start the qualification campaign at a high level. The result gives Mosimane and his players a foundation for further work, but the match on Wednesday against Eritrea in Cairo should provide another indication of how quickly the new Bafana can establish its identity.