It’s not over until the fat lady sings — and victories on Sunday for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ghana tended to silence those who were vocally proclaiming that a place for South Africa in next year’s World Cup was assured after the dogged 2-1 qualifying victory over the Cape Verde Islands in Praia on Saturday.
Bafana Bafana remain at the head of the African group-two segment from which one country qualifies for soccer’s elite showdown in Germany — and with 15 points enjoy a clear three-point advantage over both the DRC and Ghana.
But the DRC and Ghana have substantially superior goal records over South Africa, and this could be a decisive factor in the event of two teams finishing level on points at the top of the log.
The DRC, in particular, made important inroads in this respect on Sunday with a runaway 4-0 win over Uganda in Kinshasa, and while Ghana’s Black Stars accounted for Burkina Faso 2-1 in Kumasi, it is the team from the DRC who boast the best goal record of the six teams in group two.
The DRC and Ghana have goal differences of five-plus, but with 10 goals against Ghana’s nine, it is the Congolese who have a hair’s-breadth advantage.
Bafana’s goal difference, in contrast, is a modest two-plus and with awkward games against Ghana (home), the DRC (home) and Burkina Faso (away) to complete the qualifying programme, opportunities for South Africa to make up the goal deficit are limited.
Bafana’s next game against Ghana, at the FNB Stadium on Saturday June 18, is regarded of paramount importance, particularly in view of the Black Stars’ earlier 3-0 victory over South Africa in Kumasi.
If two teams finish level on points and have a similar goal record, the deciding factor in separating them will be the aggregate scores in the games between them.
The Bafana-Ghana game therefore takes on all the dramatic impact of a Cup final, with a defeat for the Black Stars all but eliminating them from contention for a World Cup place.
A defeat for Bafana would seriously jeopardise their prospects in what currently appears a three-team race for a place in Germany next year.
Three teams from group two also qualify for next year’s African Nations Cup tournament and these positions seem certain to be filled from South Africa, the DRC, Ghana and the Cape Verde islands. — Sapa