Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana finally turned in a crowd-pleasing display to inflict a 1-0 defeat over Senegal’s Lions of Teranga in the Nelson Mandela Challenge clash at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The win, coming in the 22nd edition of the NM Challenge, was South Africa’s first over Senegal since readmission to international competition in 1992, and the Nelson Mandela Challenge trophy will remain in the country after Bafana retained it by defeating Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 in 2014.
The only goal of the match was scored by 29-year-old Bafana debutant Mpho Makola, 11 minutes from the end.
The Senegalese held the initiative at the outset when they were content to hold onto the ball without looking to penetrate the opposition’s defensive lines. Bafana was forced onto a largely defensive role as they tried to undo the visitors’ grip in the early stages of the match.
From around the 13th minute onwards, Bafana Bafana started imposing themselves on the match by pulling off several sorties deep into Senegal’s half. Cheick N’Diaye, Senegal’s goalkeeper, was soon brought into play although Bafana Bafana was hardly threatening initially.
However, midfielder Sibusiso Vilakazi in tandem with striker Thamsanqa Gabuza struck up a fine understanding around the fringes of the Senegalese penalty area but they were kept in check by a workmanlike Senegalese rear guard.
Up to this stage of the match, the best effort on target was landed by SA midfielder Makola who tried to hit the target with a speculative long-range shot from 45m out.
Midway through the first half, Shakes Mashaba’s team had already shown a vast improvement from the side that were thumped 3-1 by Mauritania last Saturday.
In the 24th minute, the ‘Lions of Teranga’ managed to pick up some impetus going forward especially when they attacked down the left channels. Diafra Sakho, who plays as a striker for English club West Ham United, worked his way into the striking zone but his curling shot was held out by SA goalmouth custodian Itumuleng Khune.
Once Bafana Bafana warded off this danger, they took control of the rest of the half and may have done enough to be at least one goal to the good by the time the halftime break dawned.
Their best scoring effort emerged in the 43rd minute when Vilakazi fed Gabuza with a deft defence-splitting pass, but the former’s shot, from point-blank range, was tipped against the crossbar by N’Diaye, before bouncing back into play.
On the stroke of halftime, Andile Jali was yellow-carded, and later in the match his teammates Clayton Daniels (51) and Anele Ngcongca (69) also had their names entered in the referee’s book.
Play was fairly docile when the match restarted, but some 11 minutes later the small crowd was given something to cheer about when the unmarked Sakho stalked into the penalty area to latch onto an upfield kick. He unleashed a spectacular overhead kick, but the ball flew high over the posts.
Just a few minutes later, SA sprung a penetrative counter-attack which ended with Vilakazi being set free but with the goals at his mercy his shot ended in the side netting.
The turning point in the match came in the 78th minute when Makola let rip with a scorcher just outside the ‘D’ and Alfred Gomis, Senegal’s substitute ‘keeper was beaten all ends up.
The goal eventually proved to the matchwinner, much to the delight of the Bafana Bafana’s camp.
African News Agency