Mokoena rettet einen Punkt für Südafrika gegen Tschechien und nimmt den Druck auf Broos ab
Sie können die Streichhölzer zumindest für eine Weile weglegen. Vor diesem Spiel hatte der südafrikanische Cheftrainer Hugo Broos auf heftige Kritik reagiert, wie seine Mannschaft die Weltmeisterschaft begonnen hatte, indem er verriet, dass ihm vor acht Monaten, nachdem er sich für den Wettbewerb qualifiziert hatte, ihm ein Freund gesagt hatte, sie würden eine Statue von ihm errichten, und er habe gesagt: "Mach es aus Holz; So brennt es mehr...
They can put the matches away, at least for a little while. Before this game the South Africa head coach, Hugo Broos, had responded to fierce criticism for how his side had started the World Cup by revealing that eight months ago, having qualified for the competition, a friend told him they would erect of a statue of him and that he had said: “Make it out of wood; that way it will burn more easily when I lose.” Defeated 2-0 by Mexico, they were seven minutes away from following that up with a 1-0 loss to Czechia, left with no points, no goals and not much hope either. But then, almost from nowhere, a penalty allowed them to live to fight another day, the bonfire avoided for now.
Teboho Mokoena was the man that scored it and what it meant could be seen not just in the way that he celebrated but in the tears that had rolled down his face during the national anthem. A draw is not a great result and it was not a great game but there was a smile at the end, and hope too. South Africa can still go through: victory over South Korea would virtually guarantee it; a win for the Czechs would see them through too. Whether they are capable of securing one is a different matter.
Continue reading...The Guardian Football
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