Four days after his last-gasp heroics against Uganda, Thalente Mbatha once again stepped up to save the day for Bafana Bafana.
In a thrilling 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier held at the Juba National Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, Mbatha’s goal secured a crucial victory for South Africa against South Sudan.
The victory 3-2 away from home was Bafana’s first win in the CAF 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
South Africa came into this encounter having played out a 2-2 draw with Uganda in their opening AFCON qualifiers tie at Orlando Stadium last Friday.
Below are the talking points from this showdown.
MBATHA SHINES FOR BAFANA AGAIN
Mbatha’s moment of brilliance outside the box in added time decided the outcome, with Bafana walking away with all three points after a thrilling 3-2 win.
With the clock ticking down, the Orlando Pirates midfielder found himself in a promising position. He calmly collected the ball and unleashed a powerful shot that nestled into the bottom corner of the South Sudanese net.
He also scored in his debut for Bafana against Uganda at Orlando Stadium last Friday, saving Bafana from a disappointing defeat in the AFCON qualifiers.
HUGO BROOS MAKES TWO CHANGES IN SOUTH AFRICA LINE-UP
The Belgian mentor Hugo Broos made two changes in his starting line-up that faced Uganda last week.
Pirates goalie Sipho Chaine and Mamelodi Sundowns defender Thapelo Morena started the match in the places of Veli Mothwa and Elias Mokwana, respectively.
Mothwa was dropped after his costly mistake in the Uganda tie, which led to a goal. On the other hand, Morena replaced Mokwana in what was a tactical move by Broos.
GOAL SCORES ON THE DAY FOR BOTH NATIONS
The hosts, South Sudan, broke the deadlock in the 15th minute of the contest courtesy of Tito Okello. He scored from the spot-kick after Siyabonga Ngezana brought down a South Sudan player in the box.
However, Polokwane City FC star Oswin Appollis levelled matters in the 17th minute of the game.
Appollis did not stop there as he completed his brace at the last minute before the interval to give Bafana the lead.
In the 57th minute of the match, South Sudan found an equaliser through Valentino Yuel’s goal. But in the last minutes of the game, Mbatha scored the winning goal for Bafana.
BAFANA BAFANA CONCEDES FOUR GOALS IN TWO MATCHES
Bafana Bafana’s recent defensive struggles have raised eyebrows. In their last two matches, they’ve conceded four goals, including a 2-2 draw against Uganda.
While the team’s attacking prowess, with five goals scored in these games, is encouraging, Hugo Broos will undoubtedly be concerned about the defensive lapses.
SOUTH SUDAN ONLY WON ONCE IN THE LAST 13 MATCHES
According to Opta Jabu statistics, South Sudan have won just one of their last 13 matches, including today’s game.
In those 13 meetings, South Sudan only won against Kenya in a friendly match, drawing four and losing the other eight games since March last year.
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