Bafana Bafana claimed three vital points following their 2-1 win over Liberia in the second leg of the CAF AFCON qualifiers at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on Tuesday night, 28 March 2023.
The victory means Bafana will be at AFCON in January next year, which will be hosted by Ivory Coast.
Both sides came into this game having played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the AFCON qualifiers at Orlando Stadium last week.
The hosts looked bright in the opening stage of the contest as they pushed forward in numbers with the hope of finding an opener.
Unfazed, Hugo Broos’ charges regained momentum and broke the deadlock in the 19th minute of the Showpiece through Zakhele Lepasa.
However, in the 35th minute, Liberia pulled one back through captain William Jebor.
South Africa tried to add to the scoreline before the half-time whistle blew, but the visitors couldn’t find a way past Tommy Songo’s goals.
Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka was sent off in the 42nd minute. This was after protesting the poor decision taken by the match official.
LEVEL AT HALF-TIME BREAK
The game went into the interval with the two teams level [1-1]. Back out for the remaining 45 minutes, Bafana took control of the showdown without much trouble.
As the second stanza wore on, the West African side responded well to South Africa’s pressure, with the side creating better chances. However, luck was never on their side.
MIHLALI MAYAMBELA TO THE RESCUE
In the 52nd minute of the second period, Mihlali Mayambela scored the second goal for Hugo Broos’ charges.
Bafana fought so hard to maintain their lead and made sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
In the end, it was a disappointing result for Liberia in front of their lovely fans. Liberian fans packed Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Stadium with great roars and rumbles from fans in the stands.
As things stand, South Africa move to second place in Group K with four after three games.
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