Congo treads on SA’s toes

BAFANA Bafana were held to a goalless draw by the Congo Brazzaville side during a match that saw rain pouring down at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex last Wednesday night.

The result delayed Bafana Bafana’s place in the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco next year.

A win would have guaranteed coach Shakes Mashaba’s side a place in Africa’s biggest football showpiece and, although they remain in the driving seat, Bafana has been temporarily sidelined.

Bafana Bafana never rose to the occasion as Congo focused on the removal of most of their key players including Thulani Serero and Tokelo Rantie. Both had to be substituted in the second half with persistent rain making structured play almost impossible.

It was Rantie who made the first foray in the ninth minute but his attack on the goal was cleared by the Congolese.

Congo seemed content to disturb Bafana Bafana’s rhythm in the opening minutes and, after they managed to do just that, fashioned some really threatening moments later in the first half.

One such threatening opportunity came in the 35th minute when Congo won a corner.

Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa, who turned out to be the rock of the South African side, pushed the ball out of danger from the line.

With Congo really looking competitive, Bafana Bafana hardly created meaningful opportunities in the first half as Rantie was caught offside on a number of occasions.

In the second half, the rain that bucketed down seemed to increase the tempo of the game and both teams lost possession and created few meaningful scoring chances.

Mandla Masango and Kermit Erasmus did fashion some good opportunities, but the match was destined to end in a goalless draw.

Andile Jali and Dean Furman’s combination was a joy to watch and late in the second half created some great opportunities.

Bafana Bafana remains top of the group with eight points, one point ahead of second placed Congo.

Bafana Bafana head coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba said the team was still very much on track for qualification for the CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 despite being held to a goalless draw by Congo Brazzaville.

“It was a tough game, just like we expected. They came with a game plan, which was not to lose. They were happy to settle for a draw. Those who saw our first game against them last week can see this was a different ball game altogether.

“They came here to defend and frustrate us. We had chances to score but we couldn’t. However, we are still on track and our boys are doing well. I don’t think we need to press any panic buttons yet,” said Mashaba after the match.

“We are not disappointed at all. We would have loved to seal qualification but it did not happen.

“We are happy with the draw because it is a fair result.

“We still have another six points to qualify for the Afcon, but we need to make sure that we get the maximum points in our next game against Sudan to put the matter to rest,” he said.

“It is a concern that we did not score in a home game, yet when we play an away game, we find the back of the net on a regular basis. We need to find out why this happens because it is the same strikers who play in every game. The good thing is that we are creating chances but we are just not converting them.”

Bafana Bafana’s next Afcon game, against Sudan, will take place at the Mbombela Stadium on November 15.