It happened again. We've been here before with Bafana Bafana, right? A chance to win a game squandered because of a problem that has been haunting the national team for a long time.
When the chance to pounce on an opponent comes, Bafana Bafana don't always take the chance. Last night, when Bafana Bafana had an opportunity to take the lead and put themselves in a good position to get something out of the game against Mali, they did not take the chance. Percy Tau missed a penalty. Of course, some of the greatest players have missed penalties and the Al Ahly player cannot be solely blamed for the defeat, but that moment showed just how Bafana Bafana have not always been able to rise to the occasion when it matters most.
There is hardly any room for error in big competitions and it was evident last night when Mali took advantage of Bafana Bafana's inability to seal the deal. Mali are one of the Africa Cup of Nations' experienced countries and they did what any side that has been giving a lifeline would do; they pounced and Bafana Bafana were left to lick the wounds of yet another disappointing night at the continental showpiece.
Last night, as I watched the national team going down to the Malians, I wished that Benni McCarthy, Siyabonga Nomvethe or Shaun Bartlett would come out of retirement and save us. During their playing days, these players came to the part for Bafana Bafana and the national team just did not have that lethal beast upfront to cause too many problems for Mali.
My concern going into the tournament was that head coach Hugo Broos did not have enough fire power, which led me to question why he left Fagrie Lakay out of the side. Lakay may not be the most lethal striker, but he has this forceful nature and never-say-die attitude which sees him trying over and over again to find a chink in the opposition armour.
Now, as Bafana Bafana prepare to take on Namibia in their second group match, the one thing that continues to haunt them is missing chances and paying for them. This is a problem the national team has had for a number of years and missing chances to win a game is not something you want to do at AFCON, because this is where the big guns of African football will punish you.
So, with two games to go before the end of the group stages, Bafana Bafana have no room for error. There is no time to be wasting opportunities to kill off teams. If we don't improve on this in the coming two games, then the team will be back in South Africa sooner rather than later.
This is the time where the players in the Bafana Bafana squad need to show that they can rise to the occasion when it matters most.
