After a long period of exile, South Africa returned to continental participation, and their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations appearance in 1996 was one that will last forever in the memories of their people.
The end of Apartheid signalled the re-entry of SA sports teams back into the world arena, and much like the Springboks who went on to win the Rugby World Cup as hosts – the Nelson Mandela-inspired Bafana Bafana stood proud atop of the African football summit 24 years ago.
Bafana amazed the world at home with breathtaking, world-class, performances that were capped by winning the title in front of adoring home fans.
South Africa opened the tournament with a stunning 3-0 victory over giants Cameroon to send a warning to all the other teams in the tournament.
A 1-0 victory over Angola was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Egypt, but that didn’t stop them from reaching the next round. In the quarterfinals, they managed a hard-fought 2-1 win over Algeria to reach the semis, where they produced another amazing performance to beat Ghana 3-0.
In front of more than 90,000 supporters at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, Mark Williams scored twice in two minutes as Bafana defeated the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia 2-0 in the final to be crowned champions in their debut appearance.
The post-match celebrations were led by Mandela who donned a Bafana jersey, much like he did the year before when he held the William Webb Ellis trophy aloft in the green Springboks shirt.
In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo
You must be logged in to post a comment Login