Bafana
Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund said he was highly impressed by the two
international friendly matches his side played last week in a space of three
days.
South
Africa lost 2-0 to Nigeria in the 19 th edition of the Nelson Mandela Challenge
on Wednesday, 14 August 2013 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban before
turning on the style to beat Africa Cup of Nations runners up Burkina Faso 2-0
in the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Against
the Burkinabe, Igesund fielded only local-based players, handing caps to
defender Marc van Heerden of Amazulu, Mamelodi Sundowns forward Bongani Zungu
and Supersport United midfielder David Mathebula, while Luyolo Nomandela of
Free State Stars earned his first cap against Nigeria.
“Compared
to the match in Durban, against Burkina Faso we passed the ball better, made
better decisions and got involved more. I am also happy that we are creating
plenty of chances and I know we could have scored more than the two goals but
it is work in progress. The attitude of the players was really good today,
hence we dominated the match the way we did,” said Igesund.
The
South African squad for the two matches also included the players that made
their Bafana Bafana debut at last month’s COSAFA CUP tournament held in Zambia
- Tshepo Gumede, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkhwanazi and Lebogang Manyama.
“I
think we got a lot out of the last two games (Nigeria and Burkina Faso). I was
able to look at a few players and I got a good idea of where we are with certain
players. I must admit several of them really put their hands up to say they
want to be part of the Bafana Bafana set-up going forward. I think it is going
to be tough for players to be selected into future squad because the pool is
becoming bigger and better,” said Igesund.
“I
am glad we had this exercise because we now know more about the players than we
did before the matches. There is still a lot of work ahead, still room for
improvement but at least I now have a good idea about their character, their
strengths and weaknesses.”
Bafana
Bafana’s next match is against Botswana in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
It
will be played on Saturday, 7 September at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
“This
is a very crucial match, and I am never a negative person. We know we must just
go out there and win our match and who knows maybe the dice will roll for us
because we are not in charge of the result of the clash between CAR and
Ethiopia. But yes, I am hoping for a CAR win for our benefit,” said the head
coach.
