Uzofisa kuphinde esango-2004
UMA ngabe wawusungumlandeli kanobhutshuzwayo ngesikhathi uStuart Baxter eqeqesha iBafana Bafana okokuqala, kufanele wukuthi uzokhumbula ukuthi uMbulelo “OJ” Mabizela waba ngelinye lamaqhawe asiza ekutheni iNingizimu Afrika ithole amaphuzu agcwele kwiCape Verde emidlalweni yokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2006.
UMabizela, owayengukaputeni weqembu lesizwe, washaya amagoli amabili kudlalelwa ekhaya, elinye lawo okuyinguzunga yeshodi ayidonsa engaphandle kwebhokisi. IBafana Bafana yadlula ngo 2-1.
Emlenzeni wesibili uBenni McCarthy noDelron Buckley bashaya amagoli iBafana ithola umphumela ofanayo.
Yize uBaxter ezobe esebophele isikimu esehlukile, kufanele wukuthi uzobe ethandazela isimo esifuze lesi kusasa uma ezakhe sezingena enkundleni ePraia eNational Stadium ngo-8.30 ebusuku, emdlalweni wokucaba indlela ebheke eRussia kwiNdebe yoMhlaba engonyaka ozayo.
Umdlalo uzolandelwa owomlenze wesibili oseMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini, ngoLwesibili ngo-7 ebusuku.
Ngesikhathi iBafana ibhekene neCape Verde emdlalweni wokuqala ngo-2004 laliselide ibanga elalisazohanjwa kweyokuhlunga. Ngeshwa uBaxter wagcina ehlulekile ukuyisa iBafana eGermany.
Kulokhu yena neqembu lakhe eliholwa amafolosi uTokelo Rantie, Lebohang Manyama noPercy Tau bayazi ukuthi banethuba elihle lokuya eRussia uma bengaphumelela le midlalo emibili.
Ngesikhathi u-Andile Jali, odlala phesheya, efika eCape Verde ubabaze ukushisa okuyisimanga, okufanele wukuthi ngezinye zezimo abadlali okuzomele bamelane nazo nenkundla engenabo utshani bemvelo okuzodlelelwa kuyona. Izolo iqembu liziqeqeshe okokuqala eCape Verde emuva kokulifulathela leli ngoLwesibili ekuseni.
Amaphuzu ayisithupha angabeka iNingizimu Afrika eqhulwini kuGroup D yize lokhu kuzoncika ekutheni iSenegal ibamba iBurkina Faso elingana neBafana ngamaphuzu amane okwamanje.
Ngemuva kwale midlalo emibili, iBafana izokwamukela iBurkina Faso ngo-Okthoba 7 kuthi owokugcina ube sekuhambeni neSenegal ngoNobemba 6. Iqembu elizoqeda liqhwakele lizobalwa kwamahlanu azomela i-Afrika eRussia.
Emlenzeni wokuqala iBafana ibambane ngo 1-1 neBurkina Faso ekuhambeni kanti ngesikhathi idlala neSenegal ekhaya inqobe ngo 2-1. Ngaleso sikhathi ibisaphekwa ngu-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba.
Okungajabulisa iBafana ngalo mdlalo wakusasa wukuthi iCape Verde ilinyalelwe ngabanye abadlali. Izolo kubikwe ukuthi kukhona asebehoxile. NeBafana iye eCape Verde iqembu selishintshili ngemuva kokuhoxa kukaItumeleng Khune, Darren Keet noRivaldo Coetzee.