THE TAU OF PERCY
WILL THE STRIKER GET ANOTHER CHANCE AGAINST ANGOLA?
Owen da Gama has promised to give others a chance to push their case for selection this evening, as South Africa take on Angola in an international friendly at the Buffalo City Stadium in East London.
The Bafana caretaker coach is expected to ring the changes from the 3-1 win over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday, and while some may be forced – Thulani Hlatshwayo, Eric Mathoho, Dean Furman and Andile Jali are all injury doubts – most are likely to make good on Da Gama’s promise to make full use of his squad.
Luther Singh sat on the bench for the entirety of the game against Guinea-Bissau, while Phakamani Mahlambi sat in the stands – both are part of the South African Under-20 side that have qualified for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in South Korea later this year.
The injuries to Furman and Jali make it even more likely that Kamohelo Mokotjo will keep his place in central midfield after an excellent performance against Guinea-Bissau, an early indication that the South African Football Association were correct to aggressively pursue his repatriation last week. Da Gama does, however also have the option of playing Tiyani Mabunda alongside Hlompho Kekana against Palancas Negras.
Percy Tau could also feature from the start, after scoring his first goal for his country as a sub- stitute on Saturday, in an excellent cameo that showed a willingness to shoot, which some of his team-mates sorely lacked. With injuries to Mathoho and Hlatshwayo meanwhile, it seems more likely that Kaizer Chiefs centreback Lorenzo Gordinho could also get a start today.
The slight irony of these two games, of course, is that for all the players who do well, there is a new head coach, with his own ideas, that will come in for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Nigeria in June. It is hoped that whoever he is – and Safa are taking an eternity to announce their man – he has been watching these two matches. This may well, meanwhile, be the last time we see Da Gama on the bench for Bafana, though he has expressed an interest in helping out the new coach.
Bafana and Angola have been familiar opponents over the years. Most recently, Shakes Mashaba’s side won 4-1 over two legs in November 2015, to make it to the group stages of 2018 World Cup qualifying.
Angola’s only win over Bafana in 15 meetings came in October 2015, when they won 2-0 at the Rand Stadium in a qualifier for the African Nations Championship (Chan).
We will make more changes for Angola. Mahlambi and Singh will play