Pressure is on Bafana – Mali coach

Mali coach Patrice Carteron says the pressure is on Bafana Bafana to beat them when they meet in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.

But he said they would not crack under pressure or get intimidated by the home crowd.

“We know it is a big one for us as we will be playing in front of a packed stadium, but we will be thinking of the 15 million Malians back home who we want to make happy not the 50 million South Africans. We want to give pleasure and joy to our people and only a victory will do that. The pressure is on the home side to do well and we will be relaxed. I just hope the sound of vuvuzelas will not affect the players,” said Carteron.

He said the challenge for him would be his players’ recuperation and mental preparation.

Mali finished third at last year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and Carteron said they wanted to take the extra step this time around.

“We are happy we have made it to the quarterfinals, but the job is not done. This is our biggest achievement until the next game. We hope we will be ready and play much better against South Africa.”

He said the game against the DRC was too demanding for his players, but was happy they managed to pull through.

“The pressure was on us as we wanted a win so much to give our people hope and joy. We hope to do better in our next game and make them happier.”