Bafana take on Angola in Cape Town friendly

SOUTH Africa will protect a proud record against Angola when they host their Southern African rivals in an international friendly at the Cape Town Stadium tomorrow.

Bafana Bafana have never lost to Palancas Negras in their seven meetings, winning four and drawing three.

Four of those clashes have come at the African Nations Cup finals, including the last in 2013 when Bafana earned a 2-0 victory in their second pool match in Durban.

Siyabonga Sangweni and Lehlohonolo Majoro scored on that occasion in a deserved win for South Africa.

However, Bafana will field a changed side, with just five survivors from the squad who played just over two years ago – Itumeleng Khune, Anele Ngcongca, Thuso Phala, May Mahlangu and Oupa Manyisa .

Mark Williams scored the winner in the first match-up between the two at the 1996 Nations Cup finals, played in front of 40 000 fans at Johannesburg’s old Soccer City stadium.

The teams met again at the same stage of the 1998 Nations Cup in Burkina Faso and played to a 0-0 draw.

Shaun Bartlett scored the winner in a 1-0 success at Soccer City in qualifying for the 2000 Nations Cup finals, while the return fixture in that pool finished 2-2 in Luanda.

Helman Mkhalele and Daniel Mudau put Bafana 2-0 up, but they were pegged back in the final 20 minutes.

The only other friendly between the two countries finished 1-0 to Bafana at the Mmabatho Stadium in a 2002 Nations Cup warm-up, with Bennie McCarthy on the scoresheet there.

They met again in the Nations Cup finals in Ghana in 2008 when an Elrio van Heer- den screamer allowed them to claim a 1-1 draw.

Angola were in fine form at the weekend in the build-up to this fixture when they thrashed Central African Republic 4-0 in their Nations Cup qualifier.

Two goals from rookie Gelson, and penalties for Dolly Menga and veteran Gilberto sealed the handsome win.