Bafana Bafana aim to sink wounded Guinea in CHAN group

By Velile Mnyandu
11th August 2025

Progression in the group is the main goal for Bafana Bafana heading into their second game in Group C in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament against Guinea later today.

The two teams clash at the Nelson Mandela National stadium in Kampala, Uganda, at 16:00.

After earning a point in a hard-fought one-all draw against group favourites Algeria on Friday, Bafana come to today’s encounter with a lot of hope.

Head coach Molefi Ntseki says it’s important that they start to make their mark in this five-team group.

"We will give Guinea the respect they deserve. They are in this tournament for a very good reason, and we expect a tough challenge.

"It is an opportunity for our players to show what we are made of, and as of now we are 4th in the group, so we have to dig deep for victory in this match," highlighted Ntseki.

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Guinea, who are currently placed third in the group with just three points from two matches, were hammered 3-0 by the hosts Uganda in their last game.

But it’s a result that Ntseki and his team are not reading too much into, given the quality of their opponents.

Only two teams will advance to the quarterfinals of this tournament in this five-team group, with Bafana still to play Niger and Uganda.

Experienced campaigner Keagan Dolly is one of the key players in the Bafana Bafana group, and he’s shared the thinking from the camp on how, as players, they are feeling after their opening game.

"We just want to stay true to ourselves and play the type of football that we are proud of. We don't focus on the opponent too much because we are just trying to get better and better as the tournament progresses," said the seasoned professional.

This is Bafana Bafana’s third appearance in the CHAN tournament, and only once have they managed to come out of their group, back in 2011, and that was a Simon Ngomane-led team.

Ntseki was more philosophical when asked about their ambitions in this tournament...

"As of now, we are on the right track. The strategy and the objective is very clear, and that is to approach each and every single game as a cup final."