SA U-23 have nothing to lose against France

THINGS do not get much easier for the South African Under-23 football team as they prepare to play against France in their second Group A fixture in Saitama, Japan this morning.

Both sides are not at full strength and low in confidence. David Notoane’s side heads into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to hosts Japan while the French were mauled 4-1 by Mexico in their tournament opener.

The South Africans have been hit by several withdrawals due to the pandemic while the France team is hardly inspiring, made up mainly of untested youth and veterans who are well past their prime.

While France will go into the contest as favourites, South Africa have nothing to lose and can fancy their chances. France may be a football powerhouse, but the Olympic football tournament is one in which they have underachieved historically – this is their first appearance in the tournament since 1996.

The French have tremendous football strength in depth and the fact that they selected 35-year-old AndrePierre Gignac over Manchester United’s Anthony Martial who was not even in their Euro 2020 squad raises questions about whether they are really taking the Olympic football tournament seriously.

As they both lost their tournament openers, both teams will need a point or three from the game if they want to keep alive their chances of advancing

to the knockout phase of the competition. Gignac will be looking to bully the South African defence.

The veteran scored a consolation goal against Mexico.

Given that this is almost definitely his last major international tournament – he last appeared for the senior French team in 2016 – he will be looking to bow out with a real bang. Whether South Africa can get something out of the game will depend heavily on goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and Braga attacker Luther Singh.

At 29, Williams is one of the over-age players in Notoane’s squad.

He will have to use his leadership and experience to marshal his defence against the French.

If there is one player from the South African side who is capable of unlocking the French defence, it is Singh.

His quality has never been questioned and now 23, he is not exactly a rookie in football terms and needs to start delivering solid performances for the national team on a regular basis.