Following Bafana Bafana’s heartbreaking opening match at the 2023 AFCON, where a missed penalty by star forward Percy Tau proved costly, Mothobi Mvala has described the collective effort to lift his spirit.
Tau’s penalty attempt against Mali, which soared harmlessly over the bar, marked a turning point in Bafana’s opening AFCON match. South Africa lost their first Group E match 2-0 to The Eagles on Tuesday in Korhogo despite dominating in the first half.
The palpable disappointment was evident on Tau’s face, but it was quickly met by a wave of solidarity from his teammates.
Mamelodi Sundowns defender, Mvala, has painted a vivid picture of the rollercoaster of emotions that swept through the dressing room after the final whistle. The initial sadness of defeat quickly gave way to a wave of empathy for Tau, who shouldered the immense pressure of the penalty.
“The mood was very low after the game, especially after the good [first half] performance against Mali,” Mvala told FARPost. “We didn’t get the result we wanted.”
But amidst the disappointment, one story emerged that captured the spirit of unity and support within Bafana: the rallying cry for the ‘Lion of Judah’.
WHAT MOTHOBI MVALA SAID ABOUT THE SUPPORT BAFANA OFFERED PERCY TAU
“We trust him,” Mvala declared emphatically. “He’s a very good penalty taker. He was unfortunate in the game; he didn’t hit the target. He missed it.
“We understand as players that these things happen in the game. It can happen to anyone. For him to be brave to take a penalty in this tournament, you know he’s a senior player with experience.”
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Mvala described the collective effort to help the 29-year-old refocus on the next match.
“As I said, we have a lot of senior players and captains without the armband. So we were there for him, spoke to him and said ‘ntwana ungaworry sizoyilungisa’ [don’t worry, boy, we’ll fix it],” Mvala revealed. “In the second half, we were motivating him that he needed to get into the game. You could see that after missing the penalty, he was no longer himself. It’s just that things didn’t go the way we planned.”
The team’s collective act of rallying around their vice-captain offers a glimpse into the strong bond that unites the Bafana squad. Despite the opening match setback, their determination to move forward and leave the missed penalty behind remains undimmed.
Bafana take on neighbours Namibia in a must-win Group E match on Sunday night [10PM] at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.