Teboho Mokoena: Mamelodi Sundowns Midfielder Sets New Target for Bafana Bafana at AFCON 2023

• Teboho Mokoena has set a new challenge for South Africa at the AFCON 2023
• The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder scored in the last 16 to help eliminate Morocco
• 'Tebza' has contributed five goals and three assists in 28 games for Bafana Bafana

South African midfielder, Teboho 'Tebza' Mokoena, is determined to surpass the achievements of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad.

Bafana Bafana missed out on qualifying for Cameroon 2021, and their previous outing in Egypt ended in a 2-1 defeat to Nigeria.

This is a performance the Mamelodi Sundowns man believes the current team can improve upon.

His outstanding performance earned him the Man of the Match accolade in the victory over the last North African giants, Morocco.

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Mokoena stressed the team's hunger for further advancement.

“Honestly, the expectations from us? Is to take it one game at a time because this tournament, we all can see… nobody can say who’s going to win it. We must take it a step higher because we need to take the national team to a better place than we found it,” Mokoena said, as quoted by iDiski Times.

Since making his senior international debut under Stuart Baxter at 21 in March 2018, Mokoena has contributed five goals and three assists in 28 games for the national side.

South Africa's pursuit of their second AFCON title is still alive after a convincing 2-0 victory over 2022 World Cup semi-finalists and Africa’s top-ranked team in the Round of 16.

With the focus now on the upcoming quarter-final against Cape Verde, who secured a 1-0 win over Mauritania, Hugo Broos’ men are gearing up for a challenging encounter.

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The Blue Sharks have displayed excellent form in the tournament, registering three wins and a draw. South Africa last faced Cape Verde in the AFCON in 2013, a game that ended in a barren draw. Their most recent clash occurred in 2017 during the CAF World Cup Qualifiers, with Cape Verde emerging 2-1 winners in Durban, as reported by Diario AS.

If South Africa wins in the quarter-finals, they will face either Nigeria or Angola in the semi-finals.

Broos backs selection of Evidence Makgopa

Sports Brief reported that South Africa's head coach, Hugo Broos, responded to critics questioning the inclusion of Evidence Makgopa in the AFCON 2023 team.

The Belgian coach is confident in the forward and believes in his potential to become a top striker.

Makgopa scored his first goal in the tournament during the last-16 tie against Morocco on January 30.