AFCON 2025: Gabon Coach Backs Bafana Bafana to Beat Cameroon as Bryan Mbeumo Threat Looms

Gabon coach Thierry Mouyouma has backed South Africa to silence Cameroon in their Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 clash.

The South African side opened their AFCON 2025 campaign with a 2–1 victory over Angola and closed the group with a thrilling 3–2 win against Zimbabwe, despite a narrow 1–0 defeat to Egypt in between.

On their part, the Indomitable Lions started strong with a 1–0 win over Gabon, played out a tactical 1–1 draw with defending champions Ivory Coast, and secured their knockout spot by coming from behind to beat Mozambique 2–1.

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“It will be the opposite side of playing football. Bafana Bafana have an advantage because they know each other. The coach has been here for two or three years,” Thierry Mouyouma told Soccer Beat.

“The Cameroonian coach just arrived. But Cameroon have a high mentality, and that can be an advantage because Cameroon always comes for the national team.”

However, the Gabon coach further cautioned that South Africa need to approach the match with respect for Cameroon’s mindset, noting that complacency could be costly.

However, he expressed confidence that Bafana Bafana held an edge in terms of communication and collective understanding on the pitch.

He pointed to their strong showing at the previous Africa Cup of Nations, where they progressed to the latter stages of the tournament, as evidence of their growth and maturity.

He also highlighted the advantage of squad cohesion, explaining that the majority of the players are based in the domestic league, which has helped them build strong on-field chemistry, familiarity with each other’s movements, and an ability to execute their game plan effectively under pressure.

“So, Bafana Bafana need to be careful with that attitude of Cameroon. But when it comes to the way of talking, I think Bafana Bafana have an advantage in that game. As I said, last AFCON, they reached the semi-finals,” he added.

“Most of the players are playing in South Africa, so they have the automatism; they know each other and how to do it themselves.

“In Cameroon, the coach just arrived a couple of weeks ago, so he doesn't have the opportunity to show tactically what he's supposed to bring to a team like that. So, it's going to be high spirit against tactical spirit.”

Bafana Bafana will square it out with the Indomitable Lions on Sunday, January 4, at the Stade Al Medina, with the hope of securing a spot in the quarterfinal.