Pitso Mosimane’s return as Bafana Bafana coach has brought a positive start, with the national team scoring seven goals in two Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying matches.
Bafana beat Guinea 2-1 in Mosimane’s first match back in charge before producing a convincing 5-0 win over Eritrea in Cairo on Wednesday.
The results have left South Africa in a strong position in their Afcon qualifying group, while the team’s attacking display has given fans plenty to talk about.
Relebohile Mofokeng was one of the standout players against Eritrea, scoring twice to register his first international goals.
Oswin Appollis also played a key role, providing three assists in the match.
Mosimane has also brought younger players into the squad, with the 30-player group having an average age of 24. He said the aim was not simply to lower the age of the squad but to combine young talent with experience.
“We had to bring in five new players and had to bring young players, [some based in] Europe, give them the opportunity to play,” Mosimane said. “That’s all we wanted, to bring the age down, but also don’t focus only on bringing the age down; experience also helps.”
Mosimane said the team’s foundation was good but wanted Bafana to improve further. “The foundation is good. It’s the team coming from the World Cup. But just improve it a little bit and let’s try to score more goals.”
The 5-0 victory also showed the attacking options available to the coach, with Mofokeng, Appollis, Siphephelo Sithole and substitute Luther Singh among the players involved in the goals.
There has been some criticism that Bafana could have scored even more against Eritrea, but it remains early in Mosimane’s second stint.
TimesLIVE
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