Puso Dithejane scored the only goal of the game as a much-changed Bafana Bafana side stunned Egypt 1-0 in an international friendly at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday night.

Pitso Mosimane made wholesale changes to the team that demolished Eritrea 5-0, handing opportunities to several players who had not featured during the opening two AFCON qualifiers.

The decision paid off as Bafana produced a disciplined defensive display to secure an impressive victory against the Pharaohs.

After a goalless first half, Bafana struck early in the second period when Dithejane found the back of the net in the 51st minute, giving the visitors a precious lead.

Egypt dominated possession and created more opportunities, but Bafana’s defence stood firm. The hosts finished with around 60% possession and 14 shots, while South Africa managed six attempts. Sipho Chaine also made several important saves before being replaced by Ricardo Goss in the 62nd minute.

Mosimane used the friendly exactly as intended, giving valuable international experience to players such as Chaine, Thabang Matuludi, Fawaaz Basadien, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Tashreeq Matthews, Puso Dithejane and Cassius Mailula.

The Bafana coach had called for patience as he looked to test his squad depth against one of Africa’s biggest teams, saying the youngsters needed to be given the opportunity to prove themselves at international level.

And they delivered. The 1-0 victory caps a hugely encouraging international break for Mosimane, who has now overseen wins over Guinea, Eritrea and Egypt since taking charge.

Egypt 0-1 South Africa

⚽ 51′ Puso Dithejane

Visit MDNtv YouTube Channel for our video content