5 talking points as Bafana maintain unbeaten run after goalless draw with Eswatini

Bafana Bafana played out to a 0-0 draw in their international friendly match against neighbours Eswatini at FNB Stadium on Friday night.

This friendly game is part of Bafana’s preparations for the AFCON tournament due to take place in Ivory Coast next year in January and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers set to take place in November 2023. 

Below are the five talking points from the match.

UNBEATEN IN 10 GAMES

South Africa are now 10 games unbeaten under the tutelage of Hugo Broos. The last time Bafana suffered a defeat was against Morocco in Rabat in June 2022.

This simply means that Broos’ charges are unbeaten in 15 months and would like to keep their unbeaten record when they face Ivory Coast away from home on Tuesday, 17 October 2023. 

FANS TURN-OUT 

One of the pressing issues in this country as far as football is concerned, is the lack of poor attendance of matches. 

Fans turn-out continues to be a worrying factor when Bafana are playing at home, as we have witnessed that only a few fans came to watch today’s game. 

Gone are those days when local matches were played in front of full houses.

BAFANA CHANGES 

Broos didn’t make many changes in his matchday squad. In the goalkeeping department, we saw Veli Mothwa start with game in place of the injured Ronwen Williams. 

We also saw the return of Khanyisa Mayo, Njabulo Blom, and Themba Zwane who missed last month’s friendly matches against Namibia and DR Congo. The trio started with the game. 

BAFANA NOT CLINICAL 

Bafana couldn’t capitalise on their clear-cut chances, However, Eswatini put in a resilient defensive performance to deny the efforts of Broos’ attackers.

South Africa tried to shake things up and take command of the showdown, unfortunately, they couldn’t create much when they had a chance to do so.

THE MATCH DID NOT LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS

The goalless affair failed to produce an entertaining game, as many would have thought Bafana would win the match without any problems but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its expectations.

This draw leaves people with many wondering if Bafana will be ready for AFCON and World Cup qualifiers. 

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