SA Under-23 Olympics hopes hang in the balance as they draw 1-1 with Congo.

South Africa Under-23 were held to a one all draw by Congo Brazzaville on Tuesday afternoon at Dobsonville Stadium.

David Notoane's boys struggled to put together cohesive performance against a Congolese side that used their physical presence to their advantage.

Despite fielding a team full of individual brilliance, lack of team chemistry was evident in the South African side, which can be attributed to the boys not having enough preparation time to build some form of synergy.

In the first half, Notoane's boys barely put three passes together, with Congo exacting their physical capabilities in one vs one duels to pressure South African players into losing possession.

As a team, the Congolese remained compact in their defending third, not allowing the South Africans any space to maneuver. In possession, they looked to get forward as quick as possible to take advantage of the space left behind by the likes of Siyanda Msani and Keagan Johannes in the outside channels.

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Their ploy paid just before half time when Rhaemma Bissila gave them the lead with a close range header.

In the second half, South Africa played with more urgency, looking for the equalizer, but there was still not much improvement in the quality of their play.

It took the introduction of Mduduzi Shabalala after the 60th minute to change the complexion of the game for Notoane's side.

Shabalala delivered a pin point cross from the right outside channel that was guided home by SuperSport United winger, Thapelo Maseko.

Incidentally, Maseko was the most threatening South African player, and finding the equalizer capped a good performance from the skillful youngster.

After the equalizer, it was back to square one for SA as Congo increased the intensity in their play, both on and off the ball, which seemed to unsettle SA even more.

With the game ending at 1-1, South Africa will have to beat Congo at
Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat in Brazzaville on Monday if they are to qualify for the Afcon U23 tournament to be held in Morocco.

If they play a draw, it will have to be 2-all or more for them to qualify on away goals.

Image: SAFA.net