Bafana Bafana secured their spot in the COSAFA Cup final with an impressive 3-1 victory over Comoros, a win coach Vela Khumalo attributed directly to his meticulously executed game plan.
Played on a cold Friday night at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, Khumalo’s strategy was clear from the outset: secure an early goal and unsettle their opponents.
This directive was implemented, as an own goal from Comoros’ Mohamed Idris handed Bafana an early lead before Orlando Pirates striker Boitumelo Radiopane doubled the lead in the 14th minute.
Although Comoros’ Madi Ibrahim pulled one back in the 29th minute, injecting a brief moment of hope, Man of the Match Kamogelo Sebelebele of TS Galaxy sealed the deal for South Africa in the second-half.
The victory means Khumalo’s troops will face defending champions Angola in the 2025 COSAFA Cup final. The encounter is set for Sunday, once again in Bloemfontein [15:00].
VELA KHUMALO’S FULL-THROTTLE PLAN FIRES BAFANA BAFANA TO COSAFA FINAL
Kaizer Chiefs Diski Challenge coach Khumalo shared insights into his game plan against Comoros, revealing it was a case of full throttle from the opening whistle.
“I think we were crystal clear about how we wanted to approach the game. We said we were going to play with the two-tenths, with one top man, and we wanted an early goal to unsettle them and open them,” said Khuamlo.
“If you look at the teams that we have been playing against, they sit back and then they will catch us on set-play and standard situations. So in this case, what we said was that: let’s have a quick goal. Let’s unsettle them. Let’s play the ball behind them, but let’s draw them in because they were men markers.
“So we said let’s have the two tenths to draw them in, and then we will punch up with the striker, and it has worked for us. I’m happy that we scored the goals that we needed this time around.”
However, even with a 2-1 lead at the break, Khumalo wasn’t settling. He stated that his half-time talk focused on exploiting Comoros’ build-up play while pushing for another crucial goal to kill off the game.
“Coming back, we said let’s set out traps because they want to build up from the back, which they are not used to doing. So we said, let’s set up a trap. But we needed to get another goal as soon as possible, just so that we can open them up, and we did exactly that,” he added.
“Getting three goals then, at least the gap was two. But we played a high-intensity game and I’m proud of the boys…”
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