Pressure mounts on under-fire Baxter as Bafana World Cup hopes suffer major blow

05 September 2017 - 21:26 By Mark Gleeson at Moses Mabhida Stadium
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Stuart Baxter (Coach) of South Africa during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and Cape Verde at Moses Mabhida Stadium on September 05, 2017 in in Durban, South Africa.
Stuart Baxter (Coach) of South Africa during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and Cape Verde at Moses Mabhida Stadium on September 05, 2017 in in Durban, South Africa.
Image: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images

Dreams of Russia next year were looking rather dim for Bafana Bafana after the team’s World Cup hopes were handed a heavy blow back with an upset 1-2 defeat at the hands of the Cape Verde Islands in Tuesday’s group D qualifier at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

South Africa’s plummeted to the bottom of the group standings as Garry Rodrigues scored two wonder strikes to give the tiny nation of just 500 000 inhabitants a real chance of going to Russia instead.

It was among the most embarrassing defeat in the country’s footballing history but the Cape Verde must be credited for two brilliant strikes by their Dutch-born winger.

His first came from a long rage free kick and then second was a snap effort that gave Wayne Sandilands no chance.

South Africa managed to pull a goal back in the last minute to set up the chance of a glorious fight back but ran out of time.

Andile Jali looked to inject some fight back into the team after coming on as a substitute and scored in the 89th minute but as coach Stuart Baxter said afterwards it “came some 10-15 minutes to late”

Bafana now need to win their last two games in the group to have any chance of advancing but will need other results in the group to also go their way.

“I’m totally gutted by the result. I’m very, very disappointed,” said Baxter at the final whistle.“We don’t have it inn our own hands but we must make sure we pick up maximum points and hope for help from somewhere else.”

Hlompho Kekana -- one of four changes in the home line-up after Friday’s loss in Praia -- had been instructed to pepper the goal of the visitors and got his first shot away as early as the fifth minute. But his first half efforts, including a dipping free kick in the 36th minute, were all off target.

Bradley Grobler used his strength in the air to set up some half chances, both for himself and for Tokelo Rantie, who had an opportunity in the ninth minute but was thwarted.

Grobler turned and shot straight at Vozinha with the best Bafana chance of the first half in the 42nd minute. He had his back to goal, turned swiftly and fired away from a tight angle but the Cape Verde goalkeeper was perfectly placed to block the effort.

Cape Verde sat and waited for the counter attack chances and Garry Rodrigues was away in the 16th minute but 34-year-old Morgan Gould, back in the team after a three-year absence, made a splendid sliding tackle to check his progress on goal.

The visiting team’s captain Mario Soares was a real workhorse and also went narrowly wide with a free kick early on - powerfully hit and with a wicked curve.

Gould gave away the free kick that led to the opening Cape Verdian goal and the defence backed off for allow Rodrigues to strike some his sumptitious second.Second half chances for Bafana were also few a far between even though Rantie’s application was commendable and substitute Lebogang Manyama looked lively too.

South Africa conclude their campaign with a home game against Burkina Faso at Soccer City on October 7 and will hope to have a decent points advantage when they go to Dakar for their last group game against Senegal on November 11.

 - TimesLIVE 

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