Bafana Bafana striker Lebo Mothiba scored for Lille against English Premier League side Leicester City at the weekend to highlight his growing potential as a future star.
Mothiba controlled a loose ball in in the box and fired past Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel‚ reacting quickest to display a poacher’s touch.
Lille lost the game 2-1‚ but the performance of Mothiba‚ who is set to lead the line for the Ligue 1 side this season‚ will no doubt have caught the eye of a number of scouts.
“It was important for me to have scored‚ it's always good for my confidence‚” Mothiba said after the match.
“I must thank the team because without the balls of my teammates‚ I would not score.
"It was a friendly match‚ but it was difficult for Leicester City‚ who are a good team and very physical. It was an ideal opponent to prepare well before the start of the [Ligue 1] championship next week.”
Mothiba had a second chance when he found himself one-on-one with Schmeichel‚ but this time the Dane was able to smother his effort.
Lille begin their new season at home to Stade Rennes on Saturday‚ with Mothiba hoping to improve on his nine goals in 21 starts for the club in the last campaign.
Among the other South Africans playing in France‚ Bongani Zungu’s Amiens travel to Lyon on Sunday‚ Keagan Dolly’s Montpellier take on Dijon the day before and Lebogang Phiri’s Guingamp are away at St Etienne.
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