Mofokeng and Adams provide firepower as Bafana down Lesotho
Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams netted crucial goals for Bafana Bafana to defeat Lesotho 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday night.
Mofokeng and Adams found the back of the net in the second half to move Bafana to the summit of Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with 10 points after five games.
Bafana hosted neighbours Lesotho at a sold-out Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, looking to make a big statement on the home soil.
South Africa came into the match against Lesotho, sitting third in the group with seven points, having won two games, drew one and lost once in four matches played.
In a challenging test against ‘Likuena’, Bafana were missing key players such as Themba Zwane and Patrick Maswanganyi who are sidelined due to injuries.
Zwane has been out of action after sustaining an Achilles injury during Bafana Bafana’s 2025 AFCON qualifiers match against Congo Brazzaville in October 2024. On the other hand, Maswanganyi was withdrawn from the current Bafana squad after sustaining a knock at Orlando Pirates training last week.
HUGO BROOS HAND MOFOKENG HIS FIRST START
In the absence of the two talented midfielders, head coach Hugo Broos handed Relebohile Mofokeng his first Bafana start to bring the creative spark to the midfield.
The 1996 AFCON champions dominated the opening exchanges of the match against Lesotho, creating most goal-scoring opportunities, however they were wasteful in the final third.
Pirates’ highly-rated youngster Mofokeng was the live wire for Bafana Bafana after having a handful of chances to open the scoring, but Lesotho goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane was equal to the task.
In the later stages of the first half, Khuliso Mudau played a pinpoint cross in the box to Lyle Foster, who headed his ball inches away from the target.
As the fight for three points intensified, Mofokeng opened his scoring account for Bafana Bafana in the 60th minute before Adams scored the second goal of the match in the 64th minute.
The 2023 AFCON bronze medalists held on to their two-goal lead to claim an important 2-0 victory. Bafana will next face Benin away from home on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, in Ivory Coast.
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