Two Thulanis save the day for Mashaba
BAFANA Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba heaved a huge sigh of relief at the sound of the final whistle after watching his charges register their first victory of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
Mashaba was a man against the ropes going into the Group D match against a star-studded Senegal yesterday. This came after Bafana drew 1-1 with Burkina Faso away in Ouagadougou in the opening match of the qualifiers last month.
His boss Danny Jordaan, the SA Football Association president, has been vocal in his displeasure with the national team’s performances.
Jordaan demanded an improvement. And Mashaba and his troops responded by getting their campaign back on track in fighting fashion, with the two Thulanis — Hlatshayo and Serero — finding the back of the net in the first half.
Asked what the win meant to him in the post-match press conference, a relieved Mashaba said: “It has given me a second lease of life. I was a dead man already.
“They never gave us a chance that we would beat them, let alone score a goal against them. It is going to be important to win our coming two games before we go to Dakar.”
Taming the Lions of Teranga has given Bafana a shot in the arm in their quest to qualify for Russia in two years’ time. Bafana’s stay at the summit of the group standings was short-lived as Burkina Faso beat Cape Verde 2-0 last night to go top on goal difference. The two are tied on four points.
Giving Bafana’s win the gloss is the fact that they became the first African side to beat Senegal this year. The West Africans are ranked third in the Confederation of African Football rankings.
It wasn’t a pretty polished performance. No one was looking for a beauty contest though. The only thing that mattered was a positive result, as only the teams finishing at the top of the five groups will represent Africa at the greatest soccer showpiece.
In any event, Bafana will get plenty of time to iron out the creases given that the next qualifying matches will resume in August next year when they tackle Cape Verde in back-to-back matches.
It is a commanding position that the South Africans have put themselves in. It came courtesy of a fortuitous penalty converted by captain Hlatshwayo and a Serero goal that completed a delightful and dizzying pass and move build-up involving Mpho Makola and Keagan Dolly.
The timing of the goals was perfect, coming as they did in the last five minutes of the first half.
The hosts had a chance to add a third one and kill the game soon after the restart, but Makola ballooned the ball into the stands.
Bafana will thank their lucky stars for the spot-kick that never was. The ball hit Idrissa Gana Gueye on the thigh inside his penalty box and Ghanaian referee Ordate Jospeh Lamptey pointed to the white spot. The Senegalese protested like the #FeesMustFall students, but Lamptey stuck to his decision like advocate Shaun Abrahams.
Hlatshwayo stepped up to fire a powerful drive. Adboulaye Diallo got his right hand to the ball but was beaten. The decent crowd that arrived at the venue roared in approval and jubilation.
Mamelodi Sundowns forward Dolly also had an opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet but he fired wide with Senegal goal minder Diallo at his mercy.
Mosa Konate had a chance to reduce the damage when he found himself unmarked in the Bafana box but sent his header wide, with Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune rooted to the ground.
Coached by Aliou Cisse, a member of the Senegalese side that became the second African team to reach the quarterfinals of the quadrennial event in 2002, Senegal shifted gears in search of goals.
Cheikhou Kouyate forced Khune into a low diving save, and the visitors were finally able to breach the Bafana defence when substitute Cheikh Tidiane Ndoye scored from close range in a goalmouth melee.
There were anxious moments aplenty as the match drew to the close with Senegal throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Bafana. Khune held sway during the squeaky-bum time.
There was no place in the starting lineup for Lars Veldwijk, the 1.98m striker who got his first call-up for South Africa.