The goals will come, vows under pressure Zakhele Lepasa
Under pressure Orlando Pirates forward Zakhele Lepasa has told FARPost that he is concerned about his goal drought but insists the goals will come.
Lepasa made his fourth Bafana Bafana appearance on Thursday in the 2-1 win against Mozambique and is yet to get his first international goal.
On the club front, Lepasa has scored one goal this season after nine appearances in the DStv Premiership.
Nonetheless, Lepasa, 25, has vowed to turn his career around.
LEPASA CONCERNED BUT OPTIMISTIC
“There is [pressure]. I think I’ve played four games. In the last game, I didn’t score, but I was able to create an opportunity for other people. Even against Sierra Leone, the same thing happened,” he told FARPost
“Sometimes it’s good that people put pressure on me to score, but as a player, I can see the little progress that I’ve been making.
“I can see how much I’m helping the team. I take that as a positive. The goals will come. There’s no way I’ll stay here [Bafana Bafana] for a long time, and I don’t get goals.
“So it’s just to make sure that I perform for the team and at club level for me to be here.”
He admits that “goal involvement is not enough” for a striker. Lepasa added that his first Bafana call-up after his lengthy injury was unexpected.
“Yeah, I was happy. I don’t want to lie. For me, I think it came sooner than I thought it would,” the Soweto-born forward said.
‘Zakes’ also shared his challenges on his road to full recovery and fitness. He suffered a long-term injury in January 2021 in a game against Chippa United, which ruled him out for almost a year.
“The first six months [when I came back] were just not pleasant for me. I was constantly in pain and was struggling to be fit.
“Luckily, I never had a weight problem, but in terms of fitness, I never reached the level of fitness that was required.
“And see, when we went to club level, we went to semi-finals, CAF finals. It wasn’t easy to accept, but I was not good enough or fit enough to feature in those.
“So, having to come back and get your PCs done and to see such things happen, I was happy,” says Lepasa
Bafana Bafana take on Angola at the Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga. The game kicks off at 15:00 on Sunday, 20 November.
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