The former Bafana coach dealt South Africa’s Under-23s a blow at the Olympics Grant Shimmin in Sydney There could have been few happier men than Japanese coach Philippe Troussier at Canberra’s Bruce Stadium when the final whistle blew at the end of South Africa’s opening match in the Olympic football tournament last night. The delight was clear on the face of the bespectacled Frenchman as his side completed the turnaround from a goal down after half an hour to win 2-1 and leave the South African line-up teetering on the brink of elimination from the tournament before they’d even had a decent chance to get into the event. Troussier is not a man who goes to great lengths to disguise his emotions on the touchline, but it seemed that in this encounter in the Australian capital there was more of an edge than normal to those emotions, courtesy of course of the fact that he once coached Bafana Bafana. It was at the World Cup in his own country that Troussier had control of the South African team. He had been called in to perform a hospital job after Clive Barker had been sacked following a dismal Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, and he was perhaps justifiably disappointed by the criticism that came his way after the team failed to progress beyond the group stages. So victory on Thursday was not only important to the Olympic prospects of a Japanese side that went into the encounter looking for an 18th consecutive victory. It was something he clearly deeply desired on a personal level as well. But if he was to finish the match grinning broadly, the look on his face when South Africa took the lead through the mercurial Siyabonga Nomvete after 31 minutes was the exact opposite. The Japanese, who looked as though they’d gone through a fair few weeks’ supply of colour shampoo ahead of the clash as most sported red hair, had threatened a couple of times in the opening half an hour, failing to bury at least two clear-cut chances that came their way, as South Africa’s Amaglug-glug seemed to suffer because of the decision to start the inexperienced Nkiphitheni Matombo ahead of Stanton Fredericks in midfield. But the men in green had also threatened, most notably when Nomvete had the chance to chip for the top corner of Seigo Narazaki’s goal, his measured effort having just a little too much loft on it. When the South African goal came, though, it was a masterstroke. Benni McCarthy, who for much of the game was irritable and ineffective after being clattered early in the piece, kept the ball from crossing the byline on the right and whipped it across to Nomvete, having beaten a Japanese defender to give himself an unobstructed chance of finding his team- mate.
Nomvete’s header wasn’t a full-blooded contact, but the glancing, looping effort gave the opposing keeper no chance, sailing high into the left-hand corner of the Japanese net. Naturally, ecstatic celebrations followed, but it was clear then, with an hour of the game still to run, that South Africa would struggle to sit on a one-goal lead.
More would be needed to ensure a victory which appeared vital to the possibility of qualification for the quarterfinals, given the foreboding presence of favourites Brazil in the group. The defence was still too easily opened up and it would surely only be a matter of time, if the Asian side continued to attack, before they levelled matters. Sure enough, the time came with the 45 minutes of regulation time in the first half already played. Japan won a free kick some 35m out and when the ball was swung in from the left, Naohiro Takahara, playing just his seventh international, struck to score his fourth goal for his country. He managed to get between two defenders and get a head to the ball. Emille Baron had committed the goalkeeper’s cardinal sin of indecision, starting to come off his line to challenge for possession of the high ball, but then hesitating halfway. He had no price when the ball came off Takahara’s head.
Even more culpable was skipper Matthew Booth, the team’s tallest player by some margin, who should have been at the centre of efforts to clear his team’s lines, rather than ball-watching at the back post, virtually without an attacker near him. Perhaps he had anticipated an attack from that quarter, rather than a ball whipped straight into the centre of the box, but Booth’s height was sorely missed in the middle. To their credit, South Africa did seek to create chances after the restart and Nomvete could well have had a second, but for his attempt to force home a cross rebounded off the back of a desperate Japanese defender, who barely kept it from squeezing over the line. But there could be no arguments about the prolific Takahara’s winner after 79 minutes, though the hard work was done by the brilliant Hidetoshi Nakata, with a defence-splitting pass that gave Takahara, running in from the blind side, the simple task of steering the ball past the approaching Baron. The cries of “Nippon! Nippon! Nippon!” said it all. With Brazil and Slovakia still to play for both teams, Japan have given themselves the inside track to the knockout rounds. South Africa will have to rely on favours from the other group members and play their socks off in the next two games to progress.