Relebohile Mofokeng was the hero of the day as Bafana Bafana secured a comfortable 5-0 victory over Eritrea in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifier at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday night.
The result marks the second successive victory for head coach Pitso Mosimane since returning to the national team helm 14 years after his first tenure, which ran from 2010 to 2012.
Bafana kicked off their qualifying campaign over the past weekend with a 2-1 win over Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena.
FARPost looks at the key talking points from this encounter.
1. BAFANA BAFANA LINE-UP CHANGES
Coach Mosimane was forced to make two changes to his starting line-up, with Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba ruled out due to injuries.
Samukele Kabini came in to replace Modiba, while Bathusi Aubaas filled the void left by Mokoena in the central midfield. Meanwhile, Puso Dithejane, Tashreeq Matthews, and Shandre Campbell again missed out on the matchday squad.
Despite returning to full training this week, Nkosinathi Sibisi was left out alongside his Orlando Pirates teammate Tshepang Moremi.
2. EARLY INJURY SETBACK FOR BATHUSI AUBAAS
Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Bathusi Aubaas endured a frustrating evening after being forced off just 11 minutes into the first half due to an injury.
Aubaas, who was handed a starting spot in place of Mokoena, was replaced by Durban City FC midfielder Brooklyn Poggenpoel. This prompted an early tactical adjustment from Mosimane.
3. RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG SCORES BRACE IN CAIRO
The Royale Union Saint-Gilloise star playmaker put in a stellar performance, opening the scoring in the 19th minute with a neat finish to break the deadlock.
Mofokeng completed his brace in stoppage time at the end of the first half. This sent South Africa into the interval with a 2-0 lead.
Sphephelo Sithole added a third in the 52nd minute, before Iqraam Rayners scored the fourth in the 63rd minute, with Luther Singh ensuring Bafana took all three points when he found the back of the net in the additional time of the second half.
4. WHY THE ERITREA AND BAFANA MATCH WAS HELD IN EGYPT
The match was hosted at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, because stadiums in Eritrea currently do not meet CAF’s hosting standards for international qualifiers.
5. BAFANA LEAD THE PACK IN GROUP D
The victory ensures Bafana maintain a 100% record in Group D, having won both of their opening matches.
Mosimane’s men currently sit top of the group standings with six points from two outings. Bafana’s push for the 2027 AFCON qualification is on cruise control thus far.
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