Owen da Gama to lead SA in two games that have special significance in Bafana's history

There will be some significance to Bafana Bafana’s friendly internationals against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday and Angola on Tuesday as the games will mark the 349th and the 350th time the team has taken to the field to represent South Africa.

Caretaker coach Owen da Gama leads the country in what is another milestone for the national side as they approach 25 years since readmission to international football.

It took the team five years after their international bow against Cameroon in July 1992 to reach 50 matches‚ but since then matches have come ever quicker‚ with the last 50 taking just three years and six months.

It would take the side seven years after readmission to reach a century of matches‚ with their 100th a 2-1 loss to Republic of Ireland in the Nike Cup in the United States in June 2000.

• 'Bafana Bafana new coach could be watching us against Guinea-Bissau and Angola,' says FurmanBafana Bafana's new coach may be watching and there is all to play for in the international friendlies against Guinea-Bissau and Angola‚ midfielder Dean Furman has said. 

Shaun Bartlett got Bafana’s goal that day.

And almost seven years to the day later they played their 200th game‚ a thumping 4-0 victory over Chad in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that was played in June 2007.

Sibusiso Zuma scored a brace‚ Nasief Morris netted a penalty and Siyabonga Nomvethe added a fourth in the second half as Bafana cruised to victory.

And a little over six years to the day after that they brought up game number 300 with a 1-1 draw in Morocco in a friendly in October 2013 as Tokelo Rantie grabbed an early goal for Gordon Igesund’s side.

• Owen da Gama joins long list of individuals to take temporary charge of BafanaCaretaker coach Owen da Gama is the latest in a long list of individuals to take temporary charge of the senior men's national team in what has been a tumultuous past 25 years for Bafana Bafana coaches. 

They must still play match number 349 against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday in Durban‚ but the previous 348 games have yielded 153 wins‚ 102 draws and 93 defeats.

They have outscored their opponents 430 to 325 in that time.

The side has played marginally more games away from home‚ 178 to 170 in South Africa‚ with their home record reading 93 wins‚ 46 draws and just 31 losses.

The side’s biggest victory since readmission was a 5-0 hammering of Guatemala prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup‚ a match that has since come under the spot-light over allegations of match-fixing‚ while their heaviest defeat was by the same scoreline in a friendly with Brazil in March 2014.

 - TMG Digital/TMG Sport