Bafana Bafana edge Angola to open AFCON campaign with a win

BAFANA BAFANA (2)

Appollis 21’, Foster

ANGOLA                (1)

Show 35’

Bafana Bafana ensured that they got their AFCON group-stage campaign off to a flying start after beating Angola 2–1 at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco on Monday night.

It wasn’t the prettiest of games from Bafana, but that won’t matter as they claimed a vital win to boost their bid to reach the knockout stage and live up to their dark-horses tag in the tournament.

This victory also ensured that coach Hugo Broos celebrated his 50th cap in charge of Bafana in style, while ending a winless start to the AFCON group stage that had lasted 21 years.

Bafana will now be eager to beat Egypt in their next group match on Boxing Day to all but seal their place in the knockout stage, but that will be no easy task. They will need to adopt a livelier start in that game, unlike this match where they were sluggish in the opening stages.

The two teams went into the break level at one goal apiece. Perhaps, if it weren’t for the heroics of Ronwen Williams in goal, Bafana could have been trailing by a bigger margin.

On paper, that shouldn’t have been the case. Bafana appeared to have the right blend on the field, with every area seemingly covered by a strong starting line-up that included the centre-back pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mbekezeli Mbokazi.

However, that partnership was only good “on paper” in the first half. The duo failed to complement each other effectively, so much so that Angola nearly took the lead as early as the third minute when Gelson Dala rose highest in the box to head a cross towards goal, forcing a comfortable save from Williams.

Palancas Negras continued to apply pressure, and Williams once again saved the day when he punched away Fredy’s curling effort after the midfielder latched onto a loose ball inside the box.

Clearly on the back foot, Bafana needed to conjure up something special to find the opener. And they did just that. Khuliso Mudau whipped in a dangerous cross, Teboho Mokoena controlled the ball neatly in the box, and Oswin Appollis pounced on the loose ball, picked his spot and fired a low, powerful shot past Hugo Marques in goal.

Angola refused to despair and responded with vigour, pinning Bafana back in their own half. That approach soon paid off, with Dala forcing another fine save from Williams with a bullet header after connecting with Fredy’s corner kick.

The ineffective partnership between Ngezana and Mbokazi was exposed once again, with the former conceding a set piece after an illegal tackle on his marker, who had left him for dust. Angola’s set-piece specialist delivered a pinpoint cross that Show side-footed into the net, beating the outstretched Williams. The goal once again highlighted Bafana’s defensive frailties, with Lyle Foster caught ball-watching.

With the team lethargic up front and porous at the back, Broos made a half-time substitution, introducing Tshepang Moremi for Mohau Nkota. The change appeared to bear immediate fruit as Moremi found the net with a powerful low drive. However, Bafana’s celebrations were short-lived as VAR ruled the goal out for offside against Foster in the build-up.

Bafana nearly responded instantly when Mbokazi created space just inside the halfway line and unleashed a thunderous strike that crashed off the crossbar with Marques beaten.

Bafana would not be denied, though, as Foster curled home a superb effort from outside the box after being set up by Moremi to restore their lead which proved to be the winner.

With Bafana’s defence having improved in the second half, they will be keen to carry that momentum into their next match against the Pharaohs.