Ilahle ithuba lokukhonya iBafana
ASHABALELE amaphupho eBafana Bafana okuba yiqembu eliphethe izicoco eziningi kwiCosafa Cup.
Izolo ntambama iBafana iqunjwe phansi yiTanzania emdlalweni we-quarterfinal yeCosafa. Igoli eliphoxe abalandeli beBafana livalelwe enethini ngu-Elias Maguri emdlalweni obuseRoyal Bafokeng Stadium, eNorth West.
IBafana ibivikela isicoco seCosafa esinqobe ngonyaka odlule ngaphansi kobuholi bukaEphriam “Shakes” Mashaba. Njengamanje iBafana iyalingana neZambia neZimbabwe ngezicoco ezine zeCosafa.
IBafana inqobe iCosafa ngo2002, 2007, 2008 nangonyaka odlule. Elakuleli belibheke ukuba yiqembu lokuqala ukuvikela iCosafa amahlandla amabili. Ngo-2008 iBafana yasivikela isicoco sayo eyayisinqobe ngo2007. Elinye izwe eselake lavikela iCosafa yiZambia eyayinqoba ngo-1997 nango-1998.
Umqeqeshi weBafana uStuart Baxter ubehlezi nezihlwele ngesiwombe sokuqala kwathi ngesesibili wahlala ebhentshini. UBaxter ubophele abadlali abayisishiyagalombili abebeqala ukugqoka ijezi leBafana. Okubalwa kubo uBoalefa Pule, Thendo Mukumela, Innocent Maele, Mario Booysen, Cole Alexander, Lehlogonolo Masalesa noRiyaad Norodien.
Kulo mdlalo iBafana iyeke inqwaba yamathuba awele uLiam Jordan noJudas Moseamedi abebeyibambe phambili. ITanzania isizodudulana neZambia emdlalweni owandulela amanqamu eCosafa ngoLwesithathu ngo-5 ntambama eMoruleng Stadium.
IBafana isizodlala neBotswana kusasa ngo-5 ntambama eMoruleng kumasemi final ePlate. IPlate idlalwa ngamaqembu aphume kuma-quarterfinal. Okucacile emdlalweni weBafana wukuthi iningi labadlali bebethukile ngokudlala ezingeni lalo mdlalo. UJamie Webber ogijima kuStellenbosch FC edlala kuNational First Division (NFD) ulahle inqwaba yamabhola ezindaweni ezimqoka. UMukumela ubeseqenjini lesizwe lika-Under-20 ebelidlala kwiNdebe yoMhlaba uhlulekile wukugoba amabhola ayingozi ekubeni ubehlezi ezithola esezindaweni ezinhle.
Ngemuva komdlalo uBaxter akazange akufihle ukuphoxeka ngendlela ezakhe ezidlale ngayo.
“Ngidumele kakhulu. Sidlale umbhedo. Sivele saqhaqhazela. Ngidumele kakhulu kunawo wonke umuntu. Amathuba okushaya amagoli siwatholile kodwa sahluleka wukuwasebenzisa. Ngesiwombe sokuqala ngikhethe ukuyohlala ezihlweleni ngoba bengifuna ukuwubuka kahle umdlalo ngiphinde nginike noThabo (Senong) ithuba lokuzenzela izinto,” kusho uBaxter.