South Africa continued their perfect start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a ruthless display against Eritrea to seal the 5-0 victory. This follow-up to their opening 2-1 win over Guinea puts Bafana Bafana in a strong position, but the nature of the group structure has left Pitso Mosimane on high alert regarding his team's margin for error.
The tactical mastermind is well aware that Group D presents a unique challenge due to Kenya’s presence as tournament co-hosts. Because Kenya have already secured their place at the finals automatically, their fixtures do not impact the qualification standings in the same way as other groups.
Addressing the media following the five-goal haul, Mosimane was focused on the long-term objective rather than the immediate celebration.
"It's not how you start but how you finish, right," he said, as quoted by KickOff.
"So we have a long way. We've got four games to qualify, and we are in a difficult group because Kenya has automatically qualified, so it's only one team that can qualify. Unlike other groups that have two teams that [fight to] qualify. So we are in a difficult position."
The coach's frustration stems from the defensive lapse in their opening fixture, highlighting his meticulous approach to tournament football.
"I'm not happy that we conceded a goal against Guinea because, you know, it will come to head-to-head, so we have to do what we've got to do. You have to stay where you are.
"So we are there [at the top of the group], and we've got to stay there. It's in our hands," Mosimane added.