Guinea coach Paulo Duarte keeps South Africa weaknesses under wraps

Guinea coach Paulo Duarte says he identified weaknesses in South Africa during their opening AFCON qualifier but will not reveal his findings before the teams meet again.

South Africa beat Syli National 2-1 at Orlando Amstel Arena in Pitso Mosimane’s first match in charge on Saturday.

The sides will face one another again on 24 March 2027, when Guinea hosts the penultimate match of the qualifying campaign.

Duarte was impressed by Bafana Bafana’s display, particularly their speed in possession and the understanding between the players. He said their performance suggested they had been together for a considerable period.

The Guinea coach also acknowledged that South Africa showed areas of vulnerability, but insisted he would keep those details private ahead of the return fixture.

“So, I won’t really dwell on the weakness of South Africa,” said Duarte.

“But what I can say is that South Africa is very quick in terms of ball possession, in terms of passing, and they’re very strong and they’ve been playing together for a long time.

“So, it was a bit difficult for us to get around of the feel of the game, but we’re going to prepare [for the second meeting].”

Duarte said both teams would have another camp before the next qualifier, with Guinea benefiting from home advantage when the match is played.

“There’s a camp coming up for South Africa and Guinea, we’ll play at home, so I know, but I don’t want to give away the weakness of South Africa.”