Can Mbokazi stop Salah and Marmoush? Bafana Bafana’s rising star faces biggest test of his career
Young defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi will face the toughest test of his fledgling career when Bafana Bafana take on Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Image: AFP
Mbekezeli Mbokazi will face his biggest test when he comes up against Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush in Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations clash against Egypt.
Mbokazi’s rise over the last year has been meteoric. He made his senior debut for Orlando Pirates towards the end of last year, going from an unknown to one of the most talked-about players in South African football.
Since making his debut a little over a year ago, he’s become an international, been named club vice-captain, and earned a move abroad to the United States of America.
During his brief career, Mbokazi has never come up against a world-class duo of Salah and Marmoush, who terrorise defenders in England’s Premier League in the colours of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Facing Salah and Marmoush represents a huge step up for Mbokazi, both technically and mentally. The Egyptian duo offer relentless movement and pace, with Salah drifting intelligently between the full-back and centre-back while Marmoush attacks half-spaces aggressively. For a young defender, this means there is no room for ball-watching or poor body positioning – any lapse in concentration will be punished instantly.
Beyond speed, Salah and Marmoush challenge defenders with elite decision-making pressure. Mbokazi will be tested on when to step out and when to hold the line, as both attackers are experts at exploiting hesitation and drawing fouls in dangerous areas.
Perhaps the toughest challenge is psychological. Facing global stars brings added pressure from referees, the crowd and the magnitude of the occasion itself. Mbokazi will need to remain emotionally composed, trust the defensive structure around him, and communicate clearly with teammates. If he does that, the encounter can become a valuable learning experience rather than a defining setback.
The closest Mbokazi has come to players of Salah and Marmoush’s quality was when he played against Ademola Lookman as South Africa faced Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier three months ago. In that game, the then 19-year-old dealt with the Atalanta striker effectively, playing him out of the game completely.
How Mbokazi handles Salah and Marmoush will offer a clearer measure of just how far his rapid rise can go. If he can impose himself against two of Africa’s finest attackers on the continent’s biggest stage, Mbokazi will announce himself as a defender ready for the highest level – though there is no underestimating the difficulty of the task ahead.
IOL Sport