19 November 2024 – A capacity crowd at DHL Cape Town Stadium savored the flavours of a delectable buffet as Bafana Bafana served a meal cooked to near perfection under the shadow of Table Mountain on Tuesday.
Coach Hugo Broos’ irrepressible charges were once again in devastating form as they beat South Sudan 3-0 in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that could have had a far more unflattering final scoreline on another day.
The sold-out sign went up minutes before kickoff at Cape Town Stadium and as was expected, the players made sure that they repaid the nation’s growing faith in the team with a glowing performance deserving of the occasion. The hosts raced to an early lead when Iqraam Rayners beat visiting goalkeeper Majak Maling Mawith with a low shot in the sixth minute after some fine work from Oswin Appollis and Thapelo Morena in the buildup.
The South Africans tightened their stranglehold and with the visitors gasping for air and struggling to keep up, Bafana Bafana struck once again when Patrick Maswanganyi increased the lead in the 22nd minute. Maswanganyi reacted the quickest and buried the ball in the back of the net after Mawith spilled it back into play following a deceptive Teboho Mokoena shot from outside the box.
South Sudan would have been relieved to go to the halftime break trailing by only two goals, but things changed just five minutes after the restart when the South African senior men’s national team was awarded a penalty. Mokoena accepted the responsibility and scored from the spot, inflicting more misery on Mawith.
The 3-0 final score ensured that the South Africans finished top of qualifying Group K with 14 points, in a result that had special significance for captain Ronwen Williams. The 32-year-old ran out for the 50th time in South African senior men’s national team colours after he was selected against South Sudan at the Cape Town Stadium.
The revered and decorated goalkeeper celebrated another milestone during a year that has already had several highlights.
