Bafana in another World Cup fresh demand

Bafana Bafana’s must win game against South Korea in the early hours of Thursday will come with the demands of having a new name to the list of World Cup scorers.

Bafana need victory against the Asians at the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon in a match which will kickoff at 03h00 SA time.

The northern Mexican city is eight hours behind South African time.

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Bafana will go into Thursday morning’s match in need of victory, which hasn’t happened in the last six matches - the longest run that Hugo Broos has had without a win since he took over five years ago.

Broos’ last six games in charge have been draws against Panama, Nicaragua, and Czechia plus defeats to Mexico, Panama, and Cameroon.

Beyond that, Bafana will need a new name added to their World Cup goal scorers list with Teboho Mokoena suspended after getting his second yellow card in the 1-1 against Czechia.

Mokoena scored the equaliser from the penalty spot becoming the tenth player to score for Bafana at the World Cup.

The first was Benni McCarthy in 1998 who scored again four years later.

Shaun Bartlett (two), Teboho Mokoena (born 1974 and now retired), Quinton Fortune, Siyabonga Nomvete, Lucas Radebe, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Bongani Khumalo, and Katlego Mphela have also scored making it 10 names.

There will have to be a new name added if Bafana is to at least score and hopefully win.

To have a guaranteed qualification instead of waiting for their fate as one of the top eight third placed nations, Bafana winning on Thursday morning must be coupled with Czechia not having a better goal difference if they also overcome already qualified Mexico.

Should Bafana win and Czechia don’t get all three points against Mexico, then they will secure second place in the group and proceed to the last 32 in Los Angeles where they will play the Group B runners-up.

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Group B has Canada, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar.

A Bafana victory coupled with the same result for Czechia will mean superior goal difference comes into effect through a tie breaker criterion.

Should that system then relegate Bafana to third place then they will have to wait for their fate on the third placed rankings in the hope that they then finish in the top eight.