Three Benin players to hurt Bafana Bafana
Bafana Bafana begin their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup with a home qualifier against Benin in Durban on Saturday, a tricky tie against a team that on paper they will feel they should beat.
But as the old saying goes, ‘football is played on grass, not paper’, and there are players within the Benin side who can make life difficult for Hugo Broos’ side.
Their team is mainly made up of players who ply their trade on the African continent and the lesser leagues of Europe, though they do have a few in France, and they will likely provide the biggest threat for Bafana. We pick three players to watch.
STEVE MOUNIE
The Brest forward is a genuine goal-scorer and likely the leading source of goals for the visitors. He started his career at Montpellier, had a loan spell at Nimes and then a successful three-year stay at English side Huddersfield. He returned to France in 2020 and joined Brest, and has 26 goals in Ligue 1 since, including two this season. He netted in a 3-2 loss to Paris St Germain late last month. Mounie knows the way to goal and Bafana had better beware.
JODEL DOSSOU
Attacker Dossou generally plays on the right wing but can also move more centrally if required. Things have not gone his way in recent years as part of a struggling Sochaux side in France, but the 31-year-old has plenty of experience built up in Europe after years in Austria, Switzerland and then France. He netted for Benin in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier defeat in Mozambique in September and while his club fortunes might be dipping, he is still a key member of the national team.
CEDRIC HOUNTONDJI
A former France junior international, the Toulouse-born centre-back is a star at Ligue 2 Angers, though he spent the previous two seasons in the
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