Sport

Bafana find form in win over Zimbabwe

Brad Morgan

28 January 2010

A locally based Bafana Bafana team beat Zimbabwe 3-0 in an international friendly at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday night, bringing a successful end to a two-week training camp ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The win followed a non-cap practice match against Swaziland on the weekend which South Africa won 6-2. After that game, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira expressed concern about his team's defence, but against Zimbabwe it was much tighter.

On Wednesday, after an unimpressive first half, in which Parreira's charges failed to hold onto the ball and make their passes, a number of changes for the second half resulted in three goals and, ultimately, a convincing victory.

Warning

The Zimbabweans sounded a loud warning inside the first five minutes when Cuthbert Malajila blasted a shot into the side netting of the South African goals.

Bafana responded with a shot by captain Teko Modise which forced Zimbabwean goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini, of PSL team Platinum Stars, to palm the ball behind for a corner.

The Zimbabweans then came close from a free-kick when Knowledge Musona, who plys his trade with PSL glamour club Kaizer chiefs, fired narrowly wide of an upright.

Modise had a great opportunity to give South Africa the lead 10 minutes from the break when a through-ball from Katlego Mphela put him in the clear. Kapini, however, managed to deflect Modise's shot onto an upright and out of the goals.

The lead

Five minutes after half-time Bafana Bafana took the lead. Free-kick ace Siphiwe Tshabalala took full advantage of an opportunity afforded him after Reneilwe Letsholonyane had been fouled on the edge of the area. His curling shot left Kapini with no chance and the crowd of 35 000 celebrated the national team taking the lead.

With the first goal scored, there was a positive change in the performance of the home side. They took control of the match, dictating the pace of the game and dominating possession. Despite this, not many chances for shots on goal were created.

In the 74th minute, however, Richard Henyekane, from local club Golden Arrows, had a great chance to please the fans, after Lance Davids had found him with an astute pass. Unfortunately, he failed to connect properly from close range and his shot went straight to Kapini.

Superb second

A minute later, substitute Thulasizwe Mbuyane doubled South Africa's lead when he headed home a pin-point cross from Siboniso Gaxa after a superb flowing move.

Lucas Thwala put the icing on the cake in injury time when he beat Kapini with a header from a corner to make it 3-0 to Bafana Bafana.

Late into injury time, Zimbabwe had an opportunity to score a consolation goal, but Tafadzwa Rusike had his shot cleared off the line by Siyabonga Sangweni, leaving Emile Barron with a clean sheet.

The three goals would have come with a measure of relief for the Bafana Bafana players as they had not scored in an official international since beating Madagascar in September 2009. Since that match, they had lost 1-0 to Norway and Iceland, and drawn goalless against Japan and Jamaica.