Black Galaxies head coach Kassim Mingle believes South Africa have what it takes to challenge for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, despite Ghana’s narrow 1-0 defeat in a pre-tournament friendly.
Bafana Bafana edged the contest at the Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday, December 16, with midfielder Sipho Mbule scoring the decisive goal after the break in a tightly fought encounter.
South Africa enjoyed more of the ball, especially in the opening half, but struggled to turn possession into clear-cut chances as Ghana’s home-based side remained compact and disciplined.
Reflecting on the performance, Mingle insisted his team successfully limited the hosts’ strengths, attributing the lone goal to a costly individual error rather than sustained pressure.
“We studied how they play and managed to cut off their main attacking routes, especially from wide areas,” the Ghana coach said after the match. “They didn’t create much and the goal came from a mistake in midfield.”
Despite the loss, Mingle was full of praise for Hugo Broos’ side, describing their style and organisation as signs of a team capable of going deep at the tournament in Morocco.
“South Africa are a very strong side. The way they keep the ball and control games shows they are serious contenders for the AFCON, and I believe they can perform even better when the tournament begins,” he added.
The victory gives Bafana Bafana a timely lift as they fine-tune preparations for the continental showpiece, while Ghana’s Black Galaxies take positives from the outing as they shift focus to upcoming African Nations Championship qualifiers.
With the friendly played outside the FIFA international window, Mingle fielded a youthful, locally based squad, using the match as a valuable test against elite opposition and a pointer to areas needing improvement ahead of competitive action.
