Pitso Era: Bafana Secure Winning Start In A…

Bafana Bafana handed Pitso Mosimane a wining start after defeating Guinea 2-1 in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday afternoon.

2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier
Teams: South Africa v Guinea
Result: 2-1
Scorers: Okon (30′), Kabini (77′)/ Cisse (69′)

Eight of players that started in the FIFA World Cup Last 32 against Canada kept their places, while Pitso Mosimane brought in Kamogelo Sebelele, Olwethu Makhanya, Relebohile Mofokeng and Iqraam Rayners.

The game got off to a lively start with both sides looking to get an early goal, but Mofokeng should have opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes when he intercepted a loose ball to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he sent his effort wide.

Bafana eventually made their dominance count on 30 minutes when Ime Okon pounced on a loose ball in the box and volleyed home from close-range to get first goal of the second Mosimane era with the national side.

WATCH:

Guinea, meanwhile, struggled to get the ball off their South African counterparts after falling behind, with star striker Serhou Guirassy not having any services to deal with in the entire opening 45 minutes.

Mosimane’s charges did go in search of more goals in the latter stages of the first half, with Teboho Mokoena going closest with one of his trademark long-rang strikes that forced goalkeeper Soumaila Sylla into a fine save.

The visitors unsurprisingly came out looking to get back on level terms, but the South African defence remained resolute and restricted the visitors to efforts from distance, none of which seriously troubled Williams in the opening 15 minutes.

That all changed in the 69th minute when Guinea brought themselves level when a deflected free-kick landed in the path of Seydouba Cisse, who controlled well before firing past Williams despite replays showing the player was offside.

However, the visitors’ joy only lasted seven minutes as the substitutes combined when Yanela Mbuthuma played in Kabini, who broke into the box before calmly slotting home to get his first Bafana goal, sealing the first win for Mosimane.

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