Baxter could give Singh another chance in the Cosafa Cup Plate final

06 June 2018 - 14:45 By Marc Strydom
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Luther Singh during the 2018 COSAFA Cup quarter final match between South Africa and Madagascar at New Peter Mokaba Stadium on June 03, 2018 in Polokwane, South Africa.
Luther Singh during the 2018 COSAFA Cup quarter final match between South Africa and Madagascar at New Peter Mokaba Stadium on June 03, 2018 in Polokwane, South Africa.
Image: Philip Maeta/Gallo Images

Luther Singh will get a chance to redeem himself in the Cosafa Cup Plate final against Botswana on Friday‚ if he shows the right attitude‚ is the message coach Stuart Baxter seems to be sending to the FC Braga striker.

Luther Singh will get a chance to redeem himself in the Cosafa Cup Plate final against Botswana on Friday‚ if he shows the right attitude‚ is the message coach Stuart Baxter seems to be sending to the FC Braga striker.

Singh‚ promoted to Braga's first team in Portugal last month‚ showed his undoubted class with well-timed runs to get into scoring positions in Bafana Bafana's penalties quarterfinal defeat against Madagascar on Sunday‚ but spurned good chances.

Then he took a far-too casual decisive penalty in the shootout that was saved‚ handing Madagascar a 4-3 victory.

The Braga striker did not get a run in South Africa's 4-1 Plate semifinal win against Namibia on Tuesday night.

"Look‚ this camp is not about allowing people one game and then throwing them on the scrapheap.

"But this camp is definitely about learning lessons‚" Baxter said on Singh's chances of an opportunity to redeem himself against Botswana.

"It’s about the lessons‚ gaining momentum and experience playing at a higher tempo against Namibia than you do against an average team.

"So you learn things.

"You learn how to shift the ball. 'Maka' [Fortune Makaringe]‚ for Namibia's goal‚ tried to control a ball where he was under pressure‚ where we should have gone bap‚ bap and got out of the pressure.

"And he learned a lesson‚ and he knows it. So if Luther learns his lesson‚ yes‚ he'll get another chance.

"But if we continue to make those mistakes and errors in judgement‚ then it's correct that people get in ahead of you.

"But I'm not smacking people on fingers here. We're not school teachers. We're going to give everybody the opportunity to learn."

Bafana meet Botswana‚ 2-0 winners against Swaziland in their semifinal‚ in Friday's Plate final at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday evening at 3pm.

* Marc Strydom is in Polokwane as a guest of Cosafa


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