Ronwen Willams of South Africa during the Africa Cup of Nations, Qualifier match between South Africa and Morocco at FNB Stadium on June 17, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui backs Bafana Bafana to be a surprise package at the 2023 Afcon following South Africa’s 2-1 over the Atlas Lions on Saturday and heaped praise on Ronwen Williams.
A Percy Tau opener and a Zakhele Lepasa strike put Bafana ahead of a rampant Moroccan side that very nearly got back into the game after Hakim Ziyech scored on the hour mark but Broos’ charges held on long enough to see out the victory.
READ | ‘I really don’t understand’ – Broos insists Lepasa should feature prominently at club level
Speaking after the match, Regragui was particularly impressed with the South African team and reserved special praise for Sundowns goalkeeper Williams.
“The goalkeeper [Williams] played with confidence, if he loses the ball it’s not a problem,” Regragui said post-match.
“When you play like that it becomes easy for most opponents, I like the competition, when you lose one ball and we can score, it’s a different challenge.
“He doesn’t play with this concern but he’s a good technical player. Very good fans, and I think at the Africa Cup of Nations, they can make a big surprise with this spirit.
“I’m very happy to see this team because I know South Africa; you work a lot on your football and have good players, good quality players with Mamelodi Sundowns [for example], your league is good.
“You will progress in the future, Inshallah, but I can’t say more about the competition, as competition is competition. You know in the World Cup, we beat Spain, we beat Portugal but when we play Cape Verde, it’s different, it’s about competition. it depends on who you play.
“But I think my team learnt a lot, it’s good for my team, maybe not for Bafana Bafana.”
The win means Bafana finish on top of Group K above Morocco in the Afcon qualifier group stages. The continental showpiece will be played in January next year in Côte d’Ivoire.
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