South Africa and the Lions of the Atlas
played to a 1-1 draw with Tokelo Rantie scoring for the visitors.
The result saw Bafana Bafana maintain their
unbeaten record against Morocco in five matches.
Igesund handed out three new caps to Sibusiso
Vilakazi, who was in the starting line-up, as well as Ayanda Patosi and Kgosi
Ntlhe who both came off the bench, while defender Tsepo Masilela made his 50th
appearance for South Africa.
Also in the first 11 were two youngsters –
Siyanda Xulu in defence and Daylon Claasen in midfield - with Igesund sticking
to his word of introducing the new generation as he begins rebuilding towards
the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament (which will be hosted by Morocco) and
for Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup soccer showpiece.
Bongani Zungu, Reneilwe Letsholonyane and
Kermit Erasmus also came on in the second half.
Playing in front of a full house of more than
42 000 fans, Bafana Bafana controlled the first half and were rewarded with a
goal in the ninth minute.
“I think it was a great friendly to play and
get a feel of Morocco. We won over their supporters with our first half
performance. The second half was ok but substitutions slowed the game down, and
we lost a bit of shape. Some of my youngsters were a little bit nervous but it
was a good performance overall. We were unlucky not to go two up. Patosi didn’t
disappoint but was nervous just like Ntlhe,” said Igesund.
”They were very surprised with our play, they
didn’t expect us to come at them like that and we were unfortunate not to get
away with a victory. I must admit though it was a good equaliser from Morocco,
and I cannot complain about their goal which was well taken.”
The Bafana Bafana mentor believes the
building process was a good start, especially playing away from home.
“I said before we left South Africa that
winning is important but so is blooding in the youngsters. I was prepared to
send them in at the risk of losing the match but we never looked like losing.
It is all work in progress,” added Igesund.
“It was a great mix of experienced players
guiding the youngsters, but shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves because we still
have a long way to go, and I told the players to keep their feet firmly on the
ground because it is only one match. There is no player too young to play in my
squad and no player too old to feature either. If these players continue like
this imagine how they will be in a year or so. The older players still have a
huge role to play and will keep playing until such time the youngsters can
stand on their own.“
Bafana Bafana return to South Arica earlier
than expected on Sunday, 13 October after deciding against playing a practice
match. The squad is expected to land in Johannesburg on Monday, 14 October
around 07h15.
