Bafana iron out kinks ahead of Rio

SO many questions, so many questions. And slowly, perhaps, some answers.

As this Bafana Bafana shadow Olympic team prepare to attempt what would be a confidence-boosting win against Botswana in tomorrow’s Cosafa Cup final at the Sam Nujoma Stadium (6pm South Africa time), slowly the purpose of this competition is showing results.

The South Africans brought their U23s to the Cosafa as their first step to the preparations for the Rio Olympics in August, and slowly the kinks – and there have been a few – are being ironed out and answers found to some searching questions.

Wednesday night’s 5-1 thrashing of Swaziland provided some more.

The quarterfinal on Sam Nujoma’s artificial surface was tougher than the score suggests, where South Africa were again sluggish conceding Tony Tsabedze’s 38th-minute opener to go into the break 1-0 down, then far better in a second half, where the Swazis were somewhat dubiously reduced to 10 men.

Some answers so far are that, yes, Brondby’s Lebogang Phiri can have a role to play in Brazil.

He had a quiet opening game in the penalties quarterfinal victory against Lesotho, but gave many glimpses of his class against Swaziland.

That Menzi Masuku, also potentially a key player at the Olympics, has needed match fitness, and is crucially earning it here in Namibia, before the friendly away against Japan immediately after the Cosafa on June 29.

That the three overage players – at this stage defender Mulomowandau Mathoho, Andile Jali and, at goalkeeper, either Reyaad Pieterse or Itumeleng Khune – do certainly need to reinforce the spine because these U23s are very brittle when not in possession of the ball.

“It was a brilliant result, but there is still a lot of hard work to do,” South Africa U23 coach Owen da Gama – the joint coach of this team with Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba – said after the semifinal win.”

We’ve always said that when the team have the ball we fear nobody,”

Bafana’s goals were scored by Thabiso Kutumela from a 52nd-minute free-kick after Judas Moseamedi appeared to dive, and which also resulted in the expulsion of Swazi centreback Siyabonga Mdluli.

Then Phiri, Masuku with a brace coming off the bench and Judas Moseamedi got in on the act.

Botswana snuffed out Democratic Republic of Congo in their semifinal on Wednesday.