MAHLATSE’S DAILY WORLD CUP TALKING POINT | Bafana in high spirits after prep for Czechia

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was his usual self at their training base at Universidad del Futbol in Pachuca, Mexico as they wrapped up preparations for the 2026 Fifa World Cup match against Czechia in Atlanta on Thursday.

Bafana go into their second Group A match (6pm SA time) under pressure after they lost the opening game of the tournament 2-0 to Mexico last week, but goalkeeper Ricardo Goss and attacker Thapelo Maseko said they have put that defeat behind them.

In Czechia, Bafana will be up against a physical side with tall players who are good in the air and rely on set-pieces, their biggest weapon in the qualifiers, in attack.

They showed their threat in dead ball situations in their opening match, where Vladimír Coufal delivered a pin-point throw-in that landed on the head of Ladislav Krejčí to gert up and head home in Czechia’s 2-1 defeat to South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico.

It remains to be seen how Broos will balance his team after he was heavily criticised for using an unusual formation against Mexico.

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