UMzantsi Afrika uyivale ngesitayile imidlalo ehlakulela iAfrica Cup of Nations namhlanje. Oku kwenzeke emva kokuba utywatyushe iSouth Sudan ebidaphudaphu ngamagowuli amathathu eqandeni emdlalweni obumhle eCape Town Stadium ngolu rhatya. Emva komdlalo wanamhlanje, uMzantsi Afrika ubethwa ngumoya phezulu kuGroup K emva kokuqokelela ishumi elinesine lonke lamanqaku. Ulandelwa yi-Uganda ekwazileyo nayo ukuzibekela indawo kwiAFCON eza kube isekupheleni konyaka ozayo eMorocco.
ABafana Bafana badlale kungekho xinizelelo. Badlalele ukuphumelela nokonwabisa abalandeli abebeqabele kumashumi amane amawaka eCape Town Stadium namhlanje. Nakubeni indlela yaBafana Bafana ibiseyicacile – kodwa uHugo Broos ufake iqela lakhe elomeleleyo likhokelwa nguKapteni wakhe uRonwen Williams odibanise amashumi amahlanu emidlalo kwiqela lesizwe namhlanje. Umdlalo utake iintlantsi zisuka ngoba uMzantsi Afrika ubufuna ukuthumela umyalezo kwamanye amazwe obonisayo ukuba ufuna indawo yawo ebholeni yezwekazi le’Afrika.
Emzuzwini wesithandathu, u-Iqraam Rayners ubhakuzelise umnatha emva kokudibana nebhola ayidlalelwe nguAppollis noThapelo Morena. Ulawule umdlalo uMzantsi Afrika ngoba iSouth Sudan ibingakwazi kwa ukusondela ezipalini zikaWilliams obesekhefini. Emzuzwini wamashumi amabini anesibini, uPatric Maswanganyi ufake igowuli lesibini lomdlalo. Ligowuli lakhe lesibini njengomdlali weqela lesizwe emva kokuzuza elinye kwiveki ephelileyo. Kuvele kwacaca emva koko ukuba akusekho nto engenziwa yiSouth Sudan evale imidlalo kaGroup K ihleli emsileni.
Ebekhona amathuba okuphumelela umdlalo ngamagowuli angaphezulu kwesihlanu – kodwa aBafana Bafana abakwazanga ukuwasebenzisa kakuhle kwisigaba sesibini. URayners noDavin Titus, ongene kwisigaba sesibini, ngabanye babadlali abebenawo amathuba okongeza amagowuli emdlalweni ophele ingu’3-0. Amanye amazwe akwazileyo ukufumana amatikiti okuya kwiAFCON aquka iBotswana, Angola, iComoros, iMozambique, iZambia neZimbabwe. UMzantsi Afrika uza kuzama ukulwela ukuya kwitumente yehlabathi kunyaka ozayo.
ElaseTopiya lihamba phambili ngeenkomo eAfrika