Bafana Bafana sitting pretty
Having been humiliated the last time they attempted to qualify for a tournament, Bafana Bafana now know better as they find themselves sitting pretty at the halfway mark of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
With three matches left in the qualifiers, SA are sitting comfortably on top of Group E with seven points from three rounds.
Nigeria are second with six points while Libya have four and Seychelles are on zero.
SA showed their intentions on Saturday by recording their biggest-ever win with a 6-0 thrashing of Seychelles at the FNB Stadium in Soweto.
At this point, Bafana coach Stuart Baxter is not too concerned about how they do it, so long as they qualify.
“With our history of failing to qualify, I think qualification is the goal. If we wrap it up that would be nice indeed,” Baxter said after the victory.
“But if we leave it up to the last minute of the last game then everybody would still be delighted.”
An own goal from Nigel Nigel and strikes from Thulani Hlatswayo, Lebo Mothiba, Dino Ndlovu, Percy Tau and Teboho Mokoena secured their victory.
On the record-setting goals margin, the Briton said: “The way the players played should be congratulated more than the fact that we got six goals.
“They were very disciplined and stuck to the game plan.”
The focus now shifts to the reverse fixture away to the island nation at the Stade Linite, on Tuesday (3.30pm SA time).
Bafana will aim to suffocate their opponents from the onset and give them little hope of staging a surprise at home.
“They will be hoping that the first 15 minutes will have them having the ball a lot and us struggling. If they are buoyed by that then they will think they have a chance.
“Now it’s up to us to kill that optimism. We may play more attacking than they think or we may shift the ball and be more patient,” Baxter said.
Meanwhile, despite the record-setting victory, new Bafana Bafana sensation Mothiba still feels there are aspects of his team’s performances that need to be polished.
Speaking at OR Tambo International Airport before the team flew out to the island on Sunday, Mothiba said: “I am very happy to have scored three goals in three games for Bafana.
“So far I am enjoying myself and having a great time with the guys.
“We should now work more on our finishing and be a little more clinical in front of goal.”
Fans are salivating at the prospect of a ruthless combination with fellow striker Tau.
The 22-year-old attacker said his relationship with Tau was developing on and off the field.
“We [he and Tau] are working a lot at training and talk a lot, we listen to the coach’s instructions and so far everything is going well,” the France-based RC Strasbourg player said.
“So for us it’s just about working hard and if we keep communicating then we can make it grow.”
Nigerian Odion Ighalo scored a hat-trick, Moroccan Faycal Fajr spared blushes and Zimbabwean Knowledge Musona was a hero and villain in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on Saturday.
China-based Ighalo bagged a match-day three treble as Nigeria crushed Libya 4-0 in Uyo to continue a Group E recovery after starting with a shock home defeat by South Africa.
Captain Musona scored and was sent off within five minutes as Zimbabwe went clear in Group G thanks to an upset 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa
Fajr converted a penalty seven minutes into stoppage time as Morocco sneaked a 1-0 Group B win in Casablanca over the Comoros, ranked 104 places below them in the world.
Captain Musona scored and was sent off within five minutes as Zimbabwe went clear in Group G thanks to an upset 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa.
There was also a record sixgoal victory for SA and a goalkeeping howler that gifted Namibia three points in Mozambique as the third series of qualifiers was completed.
Ighalo converted a fourthminute spot-kick after being fouled and then rounded goalkeeper Mohamed Nashnush to tap in on 58 minutes.
When a Libyan failed to cut off a low cross, former Watford striker Ighalo scrambled the ball into the net to complete his hat-trick.
A last-minute Samuel Kalu goal completed the rout of the “Mediterranean Knights”, whose Belgian coach Adel Amrouche quit this week over unpaid salaries.
Nigeria lie second with six points, one less than SA, who scored a record 6-0 win over the Seychelles in Johannesburg.
The Comoros were on the verge of their greatest achievement as they frustrated 2018 World Cup qualifiers Morocco for 96 minutes.
But then came heartbreak as they conceded a penalty and Fajr scored to lift Morocco within a point of Group B pacesetters Cameroon.
Ronald Pfumbidzai struck a superb goal midway through the first half to put Zimbabwe on the road to glory at a packed 80,000-seat Stade des Martyrs.
Musona doubled the lead and then cynically fouled Issama Mpeko, for which he got his second yellow card of the match followed by a red.
Yannick Bolasie nodded a stoppage-time consolation goal for the Congolese as they suffered a rare loss in Kinshasa.
Zimbabwe top the table with seven points, three more than central African neighbours DR Congo and Congo Brazzaville.
Mozambique goalkeeper Jose Guirrugo allowed a longrange, stoppage-time shot from substitute Deon Hotto to slip from his grasp and into the net as Namibia fought back to win 2-1 in Maputo.
Group K is the tightest of the 12 mini-leagues with Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia all on four points with equal goal differences.
Leaders Tunisia battled to a 1-0 Group J win in Rades over Niger, who conceded six goals in Egypt last month amid complaints of a “beans-and-water” diet.
Yassine Meriah scored after 17 minutes for the “Carthage Eagles”, who had Ghailene Chaalali red-carded in the closing stages.