Not pretty but Bafana win
SOUTH AFRICA (0) 1 Malinga 68th min BOTSWANA 0
IT wasn’t pretty, even though there was some eye-catching passing, but Bafana Bafana will take some positives from their Cosafa Cup opener after defeating neighbours Botswana at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday.
In the opening game of the tournament in Gqeberha, Eswatini defeated neighbours Lesotho 3-1 as they climbed to the top of Group A. But a narrow win for Bafana ensured that the host nation started on a high note as well.
Bafana are yet to recover from their epic failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations next year. But by winning the Cosafa Cup, they would show their intentions of turning over a new leaf. What is clear is that their restructuring phase will most certainly be a bumpy road.
They were without new coach Hugo Broos for their international friendly against Uganda as he is back home in Belgium for his Covid-19 vaccine. Assistant coach Cedomir Janevski also missed that game due to isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.
As a result, Helman Mkhalele had to take charge of the team. The South African footballing legend got the job done, his makeshift Bafana team defeating Uganda 3-2. Mkhalele also missed yesterday’s clash after a positive Covid-19 test.
The Morena Ramoreboli-led Bafana side had eight debutants yesterday, including captain Veli Mothwa. Bafana dominated possession in the opening stages of the encounter. Midfield duo Siyethemba Sithebe and Siphelele Mkhulise make the team tick.
It was, however, Monnapule Saleng, the new Orlando Pirates player, who was tiring Botswana's defence. His efforts didn’t bear any fruit as his shots went astray from the target or there wasn’t support from his striking partners.
Despite some mesmerising play in midfield, with Sithebe and Mkhulise dishing up some good balls, Botswana were the first team to test their opposition properly. Segolame Boy hit a volley on the edge of the box from a Motshusi Johnson cutback.
Mothwa proved to be alert in goal, tipping the effort over the crossbar. The two teams went into the break deadlocked though. In the second half, the South Africans picked up where they left off in the first: dominating possession.
That wasn’t good enough, though, as they didn’t make inroads into Botswana’s final third. As a result, they were nearly punished by Thatayone Kgamanyane who saw his volley inside the box hit the bar after a lovely delivery from the left flank.
But Bafana didn’t need interplay to break the deadlock. Instead, leftback Nyiko Mobbi delivered a highflying ball which substitute Kagiso Malinga intercepted in the air before hitting a diagonal hard and slow shot past Ezekiel Morake.
In the end, it was not pretty, but Bafana got their campaign off to a winning start. They face Eswatini tomorrow at the same venue.