BAFANA EYEING ERITREA WIN AFTER GUINEA TRIUMPH!
Bafana Bafana will face Eritrea in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Wednesday, 30 September, with coach Pitso Mosimane looking for another positive result after South Africa opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
The win was particularly significant because Group D has an unusual qualification situation. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and are already guaranteed places at the finals. As a result, only the highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will claim the remaining qualifying place from the group.
South Africa therefore made an important start against Guinea, with Ime Okon opening the scoring in the 30th minute.
Bafana created several opportunities to extend their advantage but were unable to put the game beyond the visitors. Guinea eventually punished the hosts when Seydouba Cisse reacted quickest to a rebound from a Serhou Guirassy free-kick and equalised in the 69th minute.
South Africa responded strongly, however, and regained the lead in the 77th minute through Samukele Kabini.
The Norway-based defender, who had come on after Aubrey Modiba was injured, produced a composed finish for his first international goal. It was also a first senior international goal for Okon, making the victory particularly memorable for the two defenders.
Mosimane admitted afterwards that his team still has work to do in front of goal but was pleased with the attitude of his players.
“What a game!” Mosimane said after the match.
“You have to give respect to Guinea, with the level and quality they have. You ask yourself why this team has not been in the Cup of Nations for so long.”
The coach also identified finishing as an area requiring improvement.
“Unfortunately we didn’t take the chances we created,” he said. “But we put pressure on and showed we wanted to score.”
Mosimane added that South Africa’s challenge has historically been converting opportunities, but stressed that the team showed the right mentality.
“We had the right mentality, we wanted to play and fight and press,” he said.
The comments are particularly interesting given Mosimane’s first major spell in charge of Bafana Bafana between 2010 and 2012.
MOSIMANE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE!
Mosimane was appointed Bafana Bafana head coach in July 2010 after previously serving as an assistant and briefly taking charge of the national side on an interim basis in 2006. His latest appointment represents his third spell in charge of the national team.
His first permanent spell began spectacularly, with Bafana beating Ghana 1-0 in his first match in August 2010. South Africa subsequently defeated Niger 2-0 in a 2012 AFCON qualifier and drew 0-0 away to Sierra Leone.
The team also produced notable results against Egypt, beating the Pharaohs 1-0 in Johannesburg before drawing 0-0 in Cairo in the return qualifier.
But Mosimane’s tenure ultimately became associated with the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2012 AFCON.
South Africa drew 0-0 with Sierra Leone in their final qualifier, believing that the result was sufficient to secure qualification. The team had, however, needed to win the match after the qualification permutations were incorrectly interpreted.
Mosimane’s final record during that 2010-2012 spell was 16 matches, with six victories, seven draws and three defeats.
Interestingly, his comments from that era show that finishing and the importance of winning were already recurring themes.
After a 2-0 victory over Niger in September 2010, Mosimane warned that Bafana had wasted too many opportunities.
“We can’t finish the easy ones,” he said at the time, adding that patience, maturity and experience were required.
And ahead of the decisive Sierra Leone qualifier in October 2011, his message was equally direct: “We have to win.”
More than a decade later, the emphasis on taking chances remains evident in Mosimane’s assessment of the current Bafana side.
ERITREA WAIT IN CAIRO!
South Africa’s next challenge will come against Eritrea at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday.
Eritrea earned a valuable point against Kenya in their opening Group D match after Nahom Girmai Netabay gave them the lead in Nairobi. Kenya eventually equalised through Ryan Ogam three minutes from full time.
That result means Eritrea enter the meeting with South Africa having already demonstrated that they can cause problems away from home.
For Bafana, the objective will be to collect another three points and strengthen their position in a group where every result carries added importance because of Kenya’s automatic qualification.
South Africa will remain in Egypt after the Eritrea encounter before playing the hosts in an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October.
The friendly will give Mosimane another opportunity to assess his squad, but the immediate priority is Wednesday’s AFCON qualifier.
A second consecutive victory would give Bafana significant early momentum as Mosimane attempts to lead the team back to the continental tournament after his own difficult experience with the national side more than 14 years ago.
This time, the veteran coach returns with considerably more continental experience behind him, including CAF Champions League success with Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly. CAF describes the current appointment as the beginning of a new era under Mosimane, who has retained much of the squad that represented South Africa at the 2026 World Cup while introducing five uncapped players.
The Eritrea match will therefore be more than simply the second fixture of a qualifying campaign. It will provide another early indication of how Mosimane’s latest Bafana project is taking shape.
