Bafana fringe stars show Broos they are ready for the job with win over Mozambique

At Peter Mokaba Stadium

Bafana Bafana delivered a satisfactory performance to beat Mozambique 2-0 in a friendly here on a freezing Tuesday night, making it a mission accomplished for coach Hugo Broos as almost all the new faces he selected for this camp came to the party.

After drawing 0-0 against Tanzania in the first friendly of this two-match camp last Friday, Bafana knew that they had to redeem themselves and prove that they can perform without Mamelodi Sundowns players, who were not selected because of the Fifa Club World Cup.

Newcomers in the squad like Mohau Nkota, Ashley Cupido, the scorer of the second goal on Tuesday, and Mbekezeli Mbokazi among others, put in solid shifts, giving Broos a selection headache going forward.

Bafana were all over the Mambas from the word go, creating a series of clear-cut chances in quick succession. It was the visitors’  28-year-old Mozambique goalkeeper Ivane Urrubal who made sure Bafana didn’t find the back of the net in the first half, producing seven magnificent saves.

Orlando Pirates’ “Cocomelons” Relebohile Mofokeng and Nkota were the recipients of SA’s first chances inside the first minute but Urrubal was equal to the task. The Mozambique keeper would deny Mofokeng again some 10 minutes later in a 1v1 situation, using a trailing leg to thwart his goal-bound effort.

Sinoxolo Kwayiba of Chippa United is another Bafana player who was hard done by Urrubal’s brilliance in the first half, where Mozambique never made any box entry. SA goalkeeper Sipho Chaine, who would be replaced by newcomer Renaldo Leaner in the 67th minute, was just like a man on holiday throughout the first stanza.

The first period had a few stoppages with the longest one when Bafana right-back Nyiko Mobbie collided with Mozambique left-back Edmilson Dove, whose contract with Kaizer Chiefs ends this month. Mobbie had to soldier on until the 76th minute after suffering a head injury. He was withdrawn for Deano van Rooyen.

After such a brilliant first half display, it’d take just Bafana’s first attempt of the second half, a set-piece for that matter, for Urrubal to be beaten, courtesy of Kwayiba’s header in the 47th minute. The Chippa midfielder, who’ said to be on his way to Pirates, rose smartly to head home Nkota’s corner-kick.

Cupido, who replaced Yanela Mbuthuma in the 67th minute, put the game to bed with a delightful finish just three minutes after entering the fray. Cupido collected a loose ball after Dove’s error.

SowetanLIVE