Bafana Bafana winger Mohau Nkota has vowed to work hard to get back to his best after their progress to the knockout stages of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 21-year-old is competing in his debut AFCON with South Africa as a senior player, having broken into the team back in June after bursting onto the scene with Orlando Pirates.
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From DStv Diski Challenge to a lucrative Saudi Pro League move to Al-Ettifaq, his meteoric rise created major expectation over his potential and with two goals and three assists in his first eight caps, excitement has been brewing.
But Nkota admits he’s not been up to his usual standards in Morocco, and dropped to the bench in the last two games; the 1-0 loss to Egypt and 3-2 win over Zimbabwe – but managed to come off from the bench to win a penalty for the winning Oswin Appollis goal.
“Sitting on the bench you realise, you won’t see everything, but you will realise some of the things you can do better, but when you get on the field, it’s not easy to get the chances to do so,” Nkota said.
“I got the chance, and it happened that we got a penalty, but coming on as a sub, making an impact for the team, being someone who wants to contribute, it’s something we have to do as a winger – so I’m happy to have contributed.
“It won’t take time to get the Mohau we know, it’s just a matter of time, we had some issues we had to sort out, so I think we’ll get that Mohau Nkota you know in the next game.
“It’s not an easy tournament, it’s a tough one and it won’t become easier as we go further, so for me it’s to man up, work hard and help the team.”
Nkota has two goals and two assists in 10 games across all competitions for Al-Ettifaq since joining the club from Pirates in the off-season.
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