Ball in wounded Bafana’s court

Its time for redemption after Mauritania debacle

AFTER the disaster of Mauritania, Shakes Mashaba and his Bafana Bafana side will have an immediate chance for redemption when they chase a first-ever victory over Senegal in the Nelson Mandela Challenge clash at the Orlando Stadium tomorrow.

While victory would do nothing to help their flagging qualification campaign for the African Nations Cup finals in Gabon, it will provide a boost in confidence against one of the continent’s form teams.

And it is also the chance to make some minor history with Bafana having never before tasted victory over the Senegalese in their six previous meetings.

In that time there have been two defeats and four draws, with the most recent clash in the Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea this January when Oupa Manyisa had Bafana ahead early in the second half, only for Kara Mbodj to equalise for the west Africans.

Senegal are in fact the only nation in world football that South Africa have met on five or more occasions and failed to record a win against.

The sides first met in the Nelson Mandela Challenge at Ellis Park in 2002 during Mashaba’s first spell in charge when Shaun Bartlett put South Africa ahead midway through the second half, only for Senegalese striker Mamadou Niang to equalise.

The match went to a penalty shootout which the west Africans won 4-1 as Sibusiso Zuma and Lucky Maselesele missed their kicks.

The sides played again 15 months later in a friendly international in Dakar that was won 2-1 by Senegal as Bafana prepared for the 2004 Nations Cup finals.

Siyabonga Nomvethe had Bafana ahead again, but after Pape Malick Diop equalized for the home side, Mbulelo Mabizela put the ball into his own net with six minutes to go to hand Senegal the win.

A year later and Senegal were back for the Nelson Mandela Challenge and again they triumphed on South African soil, winning 3-2 in Port Elizabeth.