Bafana show fighting spirit despite draw
The Mauritanian players were overly aggressive and pushed the limit of the law.
Bafana Bafana entertained a small but noisy crowd at Mbombela Stadium this evening. The Afcon qualifier against Mauritania ended in a 1-1 draw.
After a poor Afcon qualifying campaign this was a match to test their mettle. If they can build on this performance than the World Cup qualifying campaign might not be the disaster Afcon was.
Bafana Bafana started out poorly. They were lethargic and lacked spark. There seemed to be little team cohesion. Mauritania passed well, kept possession and looked the more likely to score.
The opening goal came in the 16th minute when a fast asleep Bafana defence gifted Mauritania captain, Dialo Guideye a goal.
The error or the goal, or maybe both, seemed to be the wake-up call for the home team. The urgency increased, passing became crisp and accurate and Mauritania felt the pressure.
The first shot on target came from the boot of Terrence Makola, but Brahim Souleymane made the stop. The equaliser came seconds later when Hlompho Kekane headed home a Mpho Makola corner.
South Africa dominated the rest of the first half. The goals would simply not come.
A long-range Kekane shot went just right on 35 minutes and in referee’s optional time Aubrey Gabuza caught the Mauritania defence napping. With only the keeper to beat he fluffed his timing, Souleymane collided with Gabuza and the tackle left the Mauritanian keeper with a bloodied face.
At half time the teams were tied on one-all
Souleymane did not return to the pitch for the second half and Mohamed Boubacar took up the goal-keeping duties.
The second half was an ill-tempered affair. The players were involved in numerous scuffles and the referee had his hands full.
Bafana Bafana played exceptionally well. They had the wealth of possession and far more shots on target than their opponents.
They were awarded a penalty in the 54th minute after Makola was fouled in the area. Gabuza took the kick and made a hash of it. He kicked to the keeper’s right but the shot had no power and Boubacar chose to go the right way and made a comfortable save.
Gabuza was substituted minutes later.
In the 74th minute Mauritania’s Ismail Diahite lashed out at Itumeleng Khune. This second bookable offence earned him a red card. He protested and refused to leave the field and was booed by the crowd after his support staff ushered him off the pitch.
The niggle continued between the two teams for the rest of the match.
South Africa could have won the match by two or three goals. It was not their night.
The one-all draw was not a reflection of the tussle on the pitch.
There will be no 2017 Afcon for Bafana but they did hold their heads high tonight.
Mauritania’s Moulaye Khalil refused to shake hands with his opponents after the match.
