Picture: The Bafana Bafana players celebrating a win against Benin/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
Bafana get FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign off to A winning note. This comes after the buoyed Bafana Bafana beat Benin 2-1 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon to get their 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Bafana Bafana coach, coach Hugo Broos and his players had wanted a victory in their opening match of Group C and the Egyptian Premier League club, Al Ahly player Percy Tau got the ball rolling when he scored the opening goal of the match in the third minute.
The South African senior men’s national team was in control in the first half and increased the lead shortly before the halftime break through Mamelodi Sundaowns’s defender, Khuliso Mudau. But the visitors fought their way back in the second half when Benin’s Steve Mounie pulled a goal back in the 69th minute.
Broos thanked the Durban supporters for coming out in numbers to cheer on the team and added that, Benin produced a more aggressive display in the second half.
“But we kept working hard till the end of the match, and that was the most thing in this game. I was very happy to see the crowd today, the team deserves this kind of support.
“The team returned back to Johannesburg immediately after the game, where we will travel to Rwanda on Sunday (19 November 2023). We will face Rwanda in the second FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday (21 November 2023) and then return to South Africa on 22 November,” he said.
The Guardian 