A bump in the road for Bafana
Brad Morgan
22 May 2006
Bafana Bafana broke a goal-scoring drought of almost seven hours in the Cosafa Cup in Gabarone, Botswana on the weekend to win their first match in five outings - then lost to a team ranked 50 places lower than South Africa on Fifa's world rankings.
Facing Swaziland on the Saturday, it didn't take SA long to get on the scoresheet, with Benson Mhlongo heading home his first international goal in the thirteenth-minute from a free-kick taken by Dillon Sheppard. It was the first time the South Africa had scored in 418 minutes of play.
For the rest of the game, SA enjoyed the lion's share of possession, although former Supersport United player Dennis Masina was a powerhouse in the midfield for the Swazis.
More dogged than inspiring
Despite the advantage of having more of the ball, Bafana Bafana produced a performance that was more dogged than inspiring as the match ended one-nil to South Africa. On the positive
side of things, Swaziland hardly threatened SA's goal as Calvin Marlin enjoyed a very uneventful day between the posts.
Coach Pitso Mosimane explained afterwards that his objective had simply been for this side to win the game, and not to entertain.
On Sunday, Bafana Bafana faced Botswana, who had beaten Madagascar the previous day.
A drab affair
The match proved to be a drab affair, with neither team offering much in the way of ideas and sparkle. South Africa had more shots on goal than the Zebras – fourteen to six – but the woeful finishing that has plagued the Rainbow Nation for some time now was again evident as they failed to produce a goal.
The closest Bafana Bafana came to breaking the deadlock was when Alton Meiring hit the post in the second minute of the game. It took over an hour after that for Botswana’s goalkeeper Bodiri Marumo to be properly tested again.
Siyabonga Nkosi performed well in his role as
midfield playmaker for SA, but his finishing was wild.
Penalties
Regulation time failed to produce a goal and the match was decided from the penalty spot.
The first five penalties went well for both teams, with all players slotting past the goalkeepers, but Supersport United defender Siboniso Gaxa has South Africa's first sudden-death attempt easily saved by Marumo, leaving Botswana victors six-five on penalties.
The defeat brought down the curtain on caretaker coach Pitso Mosimane's brief time in charge. It wasn't a successful time for Bafana Bafana, but in Mosimane's defence, the Absa Cup final was played on the same weekend as the Cosafa Cup, robbing South Africa of players from Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
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