No fear, no favourites: Bafana Bafana ready to take on Egypt at AFCON

Bafana Bafana are oozing with confidence that they can go toe-to-toe with Egypt in their second group-stage clash at Stade Adrar on Friday afternoon (5pm kick-off) and reach the knockout stage with a game to spare.

Bafana are top of Group B with three points, level with second-placed Egypt after both teams recorded 2-1 victories over Angola and Zimbabwe in their opening matches.

While Bafana were elated by the victory — which capped coach Hugo Broos’ 50th game in charge and ended their 21-year drought for a win in an AFCON opener — they knew it would be the Pharaohs who would truly test their character.

Egypt are one of the tournament’s favourites and hold the upper hand against South Africa at AFCON, having beaten them back-to-back in the 1996 and 1998 finals before suffering a shock defeat at home in 2019.

Bafana have grown in leaps and bounds in recent years, including automatically qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is why Broos says they are ready to face Egypt.

“It’s an important game for both of us,” Broos acknowledged. “On the other hand, we are confident because we’ll be playing against a good team, Egypt.

“If we win the game tomorrow, it will be a very good thing for us. Then we can play our last game against Zimbabwe without pressure, knowing that we still have to win.”

Broos’ confidence in his troops is justifiable. At his disposal, he boasts a strong contingent of players who face Egyptian opposition regularly at club level, with Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates players having come up against Al Ahly and Pyramids FC in last season’s CAF Champions League.

The Belgian, however, is not carried away by individual experience or expertise, believing that one of the team’s cornerstones over the years has been working together as a unit and forging strong camaraderie despite club allegiances.

“In the team, there’s no Sundowns, Pirates or whatever. That made us strong,” Broos said. “This is one big family — not only the players or technical staff, but everyone who is part of the team works hard so that we prepare well for games and win them.

“I don’t see Pirates or Sundowns players sitting alone. They sit together, making noise and jokes. There’s no difference at all. That’s one of the most important things making South Africa so strong at the moment.”

Broos is well aware of the threat Egypt pose. They have a deadly attack that includes Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trezeguet.

The duo of Salah and Marmoush have already shown their attacking prowess, scoring the two goals that powered Egypt to victory over the Warriors. But even so, Broos said it would be naïve to plan around individuals.

“We’re not focused on one player; we’re focused on the team. It would be a big mistake to focus on one individual from the Egyptian team,” Broos said.

“We all know how good Salah is, how good Marmoush is, and how good Trezeguet is. It’s such a good team.

“If we focus on one player, we’re not prepared to beat a team and then say, ‘Oh, Salah or Marmoush didn’t play well.’ For us, it’s just about focusing on beating the team.”