African teams need to up their game

After 32 games, all six African teams, including the host-nation South Africa, have managed just one win in the 12 matches they’ve played.

While the minnows have managed to upset the big guns at this year’s tournament, African teams have failed to impress as the underdogs and sometimes the favourites – in their matches.

With four draws and seven losses, African teams have only scored a measly six goals between them. That’s only one goal more than Argentina has scored in their two games so far.

Despite the appalling results, only Cameroon has been mathematically eliminated going into the final round of matches in the group stage, and apart from South Africa last Wednesday and Ivory Coast on Sunday night, the other African teams have never lost by more than a goal.

In fact, most of the teams have looked promising in the matches they’ve played. The talent, technique, and flair are unquestionably there and the attack-minded strategy of almost all the African sides has the ability to threaten even the most organised defenses in world football.

But African teams, and indeed individual attackers, have lacked the killer instinct in the opposition box. On a stage like this, squandering opportunity after opportunity will eventually get you punished.

In Algeria’s  opener against an unfancied Slovenia, the North Africans failed to take their chances, conceding a late goal in what was arguably their best chance at taking the full three points.

Both Nigeria and Cameroon relinquished leads after scoring first and then failing to build on it – both going on to lose games against    Greece and Denmark respectively.

Ghana, despite topping their group and being the only African team to win a game, have only scored from the penalty-spot and could have qualified ahead of their final match against Germany if they could take advantage of playing against ten-man Australia for the better part of the match.

In short, African teams haven’t been able to capitalise on any of their advantages – the biggest being  that of playing with home support.

All the African teams, and not just South Africa, have enjoyed  vociferous and spirited support from stadium crowds.

In Polokwane, when Algeria went a goal down, thousands in the crowd sang Shosholoza, not knowing what else to sing that would show the African team that they were behind them.

In Port Elizabeth, Didier Drogba admitted that he had never experienced such noise and welcome as he did when he made his way onto the field as a substitute.

In Soweto at Soccer City during the opening match, there was hardly a voice in the stadium – or in the country for that matter that wasn’t shouting for Bafana.

It isn’t over just yet for African sides, and they might well be able to join teams  like Serbia and Switzerland in causing a few upsets.

If they are to do that, however, the teams need to  convert their chances into goals and remind opposition teams that they aren’t just here to give up points.

The big players like Drogba that have become icons on the continent, all need to come to the party, playing the roles that fans expect them to.

Most importantly, the African teams need to take full advantage of the  home support and realise how important this World Cup is to their people.