Bafana’s record on neutral territory

Bafana Bafana head to the Ivory Coast for the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations finals where they will meet Mali, Namibia and Tunisia in the pool stages.

They will therefore add to their long list of games against teams on neutral territory, which has perhaps not surprisingly been a mixed bag in the past.

Here is the full list of encounters against nations at neutral venues.

1994

v Mexico 0-4: A veritable thrashing at the iconic Los Angeles Coliseum where the Augusto Palacios-coached team were swamped and only the heroics of goalkeeper Steve Crowley kept Bafana from further humiliation.

1997

v Zaire 2-1: The war in the then Zaire, as the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko was coming to an end, saw Fifa move a World Cup qualifier from Kinshasa to neutral Lome, Togo, where Bafana won 2-1 to greatly enhance their chances of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.

Confederation Cup: As African champions, Bafana went to the Confederation Cup in Saudi Arabia where the team drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic, lost 1-0 to the United Arab Emirates after a bad defensive error and missed a myriad of chances in going down 3-4 to Uruguay, who scored a last minute winner – all leading to the sacking of coach Clive Barker.

1998

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana were holders for the tournament in Burkina Faso but started poorly with two draws against the Ivory Coast and Angola before Benni McCarthy’s hattrick sparked a 4-1 win over Namibia and a run to the final that took in a brilliant David Nyathi goal to beat Morocco, an extra time winner over DR Congo in the semi but then a 2-0 loss to Egypt in the final.

v Iceland 1-1: Iceland came to help Bafana prepare for the World Cup with a friendly at the pre-tournament camp that was set up in Baiersbronn, Germany, on the edge of the Black Forest.

World Cup: The first game against the French hosts was not a match on neutral territory but the subsequent draws with Denmark and Saudi Arabia in Toulouse and Bordeaux were, as Bafana’s World Cup debut ended in a disappointingly premature end when they had the potential to grab a top two place.

2000

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana fished third at the tournament, co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria. They beat Gabon and DR Congo and drew with Algeria to top the group, then upsetting Black Stars in the quarterfinals before moving from Kumasi to Lagos where the Super Eagles won their semifinal clash. The third place playoff victory over Tunisia was on post-match penalties.

US Cup: Bafana were invited to the mini-tournament with their American hosts, plus Mexico and Ireland. The clash with Mexico at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas ended in a 4-2 defeat, followed by a 2-1 loss to the Irish at Giants Stadium in New York, despite taking the early lead.

2002

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana were based in Segou for the group stage of the tournament in Mali and after goalless draws with Burkina Faso and Ghana, beat Morocco 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, where they lost to hosts.

v Saudi Arabia 0-1: Bafana were invited by fellow World Cup finalists Saudi Arabia for a friendly warm-up game at Pistoie in Italy where the team captain by Thabo Mngomeni lost.

v Ecuador 0-0: Another World Cup warm up, this time in Murcia, Spain, which saw Trott Moloto back as coach as the new man in charge Jomo Sono could not make it for the game.

Reunification Cup: On their way to the World Cup finals in South Korea, Bafana beat Scotland and Turkey in matches played at the National Stadium in Hong Kong.

World Cup: A disappointing return for an unambitious Bafana squad with coach Sono unaware of the permutations as they drew with Paraguay in Busan and then beat Slovenia in Daegu but could not hold on the draw they needed against Spain in Daejoen.

Castle Lager Cup: A weakened squad went to play in the SA Breweries-sponsored tournament in Arusha, Tanzania where Kenya beat Bafana in the semifinal on post-match penalties.

2004

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana played at three different venues in Tunisia, starting brightly as a Siyabonga Nomvete double ensured victory in Sfax over Benin but then being hammered 4-0 by Nigeria in Monastir before exiting the tournament after a 1-1 draw with Morocco in Sousse.

v Australia 0-1: London’s Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers, was the venue for this friendly international between two old Commonwealth foes with a 19th minute goal from Marco Bresciano winning it for the Socceroos.

2005

Cosafa Castle Cup: Bafana went with a host of uncapped players, many without any league experience either, to Mauritius where they played Seychelles in the first game of a mini qualifying tournament in Curepipe. Katlego Mphela scored two goals inside the first 20 minutes of his debut as South Africa won 3-0.

Concacaf Gold Cup: South Africa were guests at the continental championship in the US and beat Mexico first 2-1 in Carson, California, followed by a 2-2 draw with Jamaica at the LA Coliseum. They qualified for the last eight after drawing 1-1 with Guatemala in Houston and stayed there for their quarterfinal tie against panama, eliminated on post-match penalties.

2006

Africa Cup of Nations: New coach Ted Dumitru took Bafana to the finals in Egypt where they failed to score a goal, and lost all three games: to Guinea, Tunisia and Zambia in Alexandria. Dumitru was full of excuses, including blaming the rain!

Cosafa Castle Cup: Another mini tournament to try and qualify for the finals was hosted in Gaborone, where Bafana edged Swaziland 1-0 with Pitso Mosimane in charge.

v Egypt 0-1: Mosimane was about to hand over the reigns of the team to Carlos Alberto Parreira but had one last game, played at the home of Brentford in London – Griffin Park. Emad Moteab scored after only three minutes and Bafana could not find an equaliser.

2007

Cosafa Castle Cup: Another mini-tournament, this time at the Somhlolo Stadium in the Ezulwini Valley, where a goalless draw with Malawi saw South Africa advance on post match penalties. The final the next day was a 2-0 win over Mauritius with Teko Modise scoring both.

2008

Africa Cup of Nations: Back to Ghana for another Cup of Nations tournament, this time north to Tamale where a late equalise rescued a 1-1 draw with Angola, followed by a 3-1 loss to Tunisia and elimination after drawing 1-1 with Senegal in Kumasi.

v Australia 2-2: For a second time in four years, the two countries met at Loftus Road in London but this time South Africa shared the spoils, taking the lead but then needing to come back in the second half to secure the draw.

2009

v Portugal 0-2: World Cup preparation were well underway with a game in Lausanne, Switzerland against former coach Carlos Queiroz and a star-studded Portuguese side, who won easily. Cristiano Ronaldo only came on as a second half substitute.

2010

v North Korea 0-0, Jamaica 2-0: Bafana held a training camp in Germany two months before the World Cup kickoff and had two friendly matches, drawing with the North Koreans in Wiesbaden and then beating the Reggae Boyz in Offenbach.

2013

Cosafa Cup: Tournament was played in Lusaka, where Bafana entered at the quarterfinal stage, beating Namibia 2-1 in Lusaka but then losing on penalties in the semifinal to the host nation. A 2-1 win over Lesotho in Ndola meant they finished third.

2015

v Cameroon 1-1: Both countries were using Gabon for the preparations ahead of the Cup of Nations and played toa raw in Libreville

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana played all three of their Group C game at Mongomo in the interior of Equatorial Guinea but poor tactics from Shakes Mashaba ensured they were always on the backfoot. They lost 3-1 to Algeria, despite leading, then drew 1-1 with Senegal before letting Ghana come back in the last 10 minutes to beat them 2-1 and send them home.

2016

Cosafa Cup: Windhoek hosted the annual southern African championship with Bafana edging Lesotho on penalties the quarterfinal, thrashing Swaziland 5-1 in the semis and taking the trophy with a 3-2 triumph over Botswana in the final at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

2018

Four Nations Cup: Bafana were invited to Zambia for a tournament at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola where they edged Angola in the semifinal on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

2019

v Libya 2-1: The civil war in Libya meant they had move their Cup of Nations qualifier to Sfax in neighbouring Tunisia where Percy Tau’s goals ensured victory and qualification to the finals in Egypt.

Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana started poorly with a 1-0 loss to the Ivory Coast in Cairo but then beat Namibia 1-0 before losing again to Morocco. But they sneaked through as one of the best third placed finishers , then upsetting the hosts before Nigeria stopped their progress in the quarterfinals.

2022

v Guinea 0-0: A friendly international played in Kortrijk, Belgium in the March Fifa window. It ended in a 0-0 draw but Bafana missed a host of chances to win the game, especially in the first half. They lost 5-0 to world champions France in Lille days later.