The Star E-dition

Bafana climb Fifa, CAF rankings

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za

BAFANA Bafana’s improved performances in their recent 2022

Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia earned them a significant jump in the world and continental rankings, statistics released by the global football governing body showed yesterday.

After bagging four points in the first two qualifiers, following a draw with Zimbabwe and a victory over Ghana, Bafana climbed to the top spot in African qualifying Group G.

But they needed something special in their next two matches against bogey side Ethiopia.

Bafana had never beaten the Ethiopians in the qualifiers, drawing at home, before losing away.

But the new-look Bafana side rewrote the history book as they won 3-1 away from home before completing the task with a 1-0 victory at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

The team’s two wins against Ethiopia in Belgian coach Hugo Broos’s restructuring phase saw them climb to 66th place in the world

rankings – an impressive seven-place jump from the lowly 73rd position that they held before.

On the continent, they jumped one place from 13th to 12th.

Those back-to-back wins ensured Bafana remained top of their group with 10 points, one ahead of Ghana.

Bafana’s fate is in their hands, meaning they’ll need a win against Zimbabwe and a draw with Ghana to qualify for the third round.

The rankings will be encouraging news for Broos, who is eager to lead Bafana to their first World Cup finals tournament since 2010 when they merely qualified as hosts.

SPORT

en-za

2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281981790789191

African News Agency