South Africa opened their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign on a sour note going down 2-0 to Mali at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo, Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.Bafana Bafana played better in the first half, even missing a penalty after Al Ahly SC star Percy Tau blasted over the bar from the spot.How coach Godfrey “Solo” Oduor was arrested amidst financial dispute with FKFHowever, the Eagles showed up for the second stanza a different side, totally turning the tables on the Southern Africans.Real Sociedad right back Hamari Traoré broke the deadlock at the exact hour mark, burying a rebound from a free kick.Lassine Sinayoko doubled the lead six minutes later with a sublime finish to put the game away from a dejected Bafana Bafana.Speaking after the match Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos said: “I have to congratulate my team for the performance today. I think we lost the game in two ways; first is missing the penalty. Secondly is the physical power, especially in the second half of Mali. Those reasons made us lose the game but the performance of South Africa was good and I think if we scored the penalty the game would be different.”Bafana Bafana boy knows how to entertain pretty well 😉Tau’s talent earned him ‘Move of the day’ in the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023.@RexonaNG pic.twitter.com/rCIEd5xPsN— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 16, 2024 He defended Percy Tau: “There are three guys (three penalty takers) for the game, it was Aubrey [Modiba], [Teboho] Mokoena and Percy [Tau]. And they decide on the pitch. It’s not up to me, the one who feels best has to take the penalty. I think Tau took this responsibility and we can’t blame him for that, certainly not because taking a penalty is not easy. But it changed the game.” Earlier in another Group E match, 2004 champions Tunisia were shocked 1-0 by Namibia, while Burkina Faso recorded a similar score line against Mauritania.##NAJAVA_MECA_7805711##
