Former Nigeria international Henry Makinwa in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa has expressed belief that South Africa’s tactical switch was instrumental in helping them earn a crucial point against Czechia in their FIFA World Cup Group A clash on Thursday.
South Africa began their campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Mexico, a match in which they also had two players sent off. However, they bounced back in their second outing, holding Czechia to a 1-1 draw.
The Czechs took the lead within the opening five minutes, but Teboho Mokoena rescued a point for Hugo Broos‘ side with a late penalty deep into stoppage time.
Speaking exclusively to Footy-Africa, Makinwa said South Africa’s performance against Czechia was a significant improvement on their display against Mexico.
“South Africa were not tactically sound against Mexico,” Makinwa told Footy-Africa. “There was a change in their identity and style of play. Using three centre-backs against Mexico was a departure from South Africa’s traditional approach.”
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“Against Czechia, they returned to a 4-3-3 formation, which is their traditional system. They showed energy, determination and a strong desire to win because they knew they needed a positive result to keep their hopes of qualification alive. It was a good result against Czechia.”
The draw means South Africa must beat South Korea in their final group match and hope Mexico defeat Czechia if they are to secure automatic qualification for the knockout stages.
Makinwa believes the encounter with South Korea will be decisive.
“The match against South Korea will determine South Africa’s fate,” he said. “In the World Cup, there are no underdogs and anything can still happen.”
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Despite the criticism directed at Broos following South Africa’s mixed start to the tournament, Makinwa believes the coach has earned the right to continue in charge regardless of how the World Cup campaign ends.
“The decision on whether the coach stays should not be based solely on their performance at the World Cup. He qualified South Africa from a group that included Nigeria. In my opinion, he has made the team much stronger. South Africa are now a force to be reckoned with in African football, and Hugo Broos deserves a lot of credit for that,” he concluded.
