Liberia head coach Ansu Keita said they were aware Bafana Bafana would be complacent in front of goals which led to their inspiring comeback to grab a point at Orlando Stadium.
South Africa raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to a brace from Lyle Foster and at one point it seemed as if they would run away with a cricket scoreline – but the likes of Percy Tau and Bongokuhle Hlongwane were guilty of spurning gilt-edged chances to kill the game.
Tonia Tisdell and Mohamed Sangare’s 91st-minute stunner shocked Bafana as they claimed one vital away point to take to Monrovia as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification hangs in the balance now.
“I told my players in the dressing room, [if] Bafana Bafana score 100 [goals], we [will] score 100 [goals], so when they scored, no worries,” Keita said when asked by iDiski Times what kept them fighting after a tough opening half.
“[I told them] keep your calm, focus, and let’s go. You know it was difficult for us, it’s a new team, a new generation, we have a lot of new players from Europe, you know it’s tough in Africa, you have to adapt yourself.
“So we got to know that, we knew we would suffer, we knew that. We knew that Bafana was going to miss a lot of goals, but it’s football, one has to miss and one has to capitalise on that. So we keep our calm, we defended well, and got the result.”
Keita went on to add that the tie in Monrovia will be a much tougher challenge and that South Africa could be walking into a hostile atmosphere.
“It took us three years, not playing at home, Liberians are hungry, they are hungry, so it depends on the result that could motivate them, but trust me, before eight or nine in the morning the stadium will be packed already,” he added.
“Trust me, trust me, the Liberians will be there to support the national team – and Bafana Bafana this is a message for you; we cannot compete here, there, we can, nothing new to us, we’ll play there and we’ll beat them, trust me.”
Bafana face off against the Lone Stars on Tuesday afternoon at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex (18h00).
