Mabasa Brace Sends Bafana Into COSAFA Cup Semi-Finals - iDiski ...
Tshegofatso Mabasa saved the day for Bafana Bafana after scoring twice to send the hosts to the semi-finals of the COSAFA Cup at Princess Magogo Stadium on Tuesday night.
Mabasa, who was booed off against Botswana in the previous group stage match, turned up and fired the equaliser in the second half against eSwatini, having come from the bench.
He then scored a second later on in the game, sliding the perfect pass of Iqraam Rayners to see Bafana win 2-1.
South Africa were on the back foot after giving eSwatini the lead after 51 minutes when Bongwa Matsebula blasted the visitors off the crossbar after Keegan Allan miscued the ball.
Bafana was meeting Eswatini for the first time in competition in the group stages since the 2021 edition, when they won 1-0 in Port Elizabeth, where they lifted the regional trophy without conceding a goal.
Mzansi also crushed Eswatini 5-1 in 2016 when it was held in Namibia when coach Shakes Mashaba was in charge, winning the competition yet again.
Coach Morena Ramorebodi went with two strikers up top with Victor Letsoalo and Iqraam Rayners, a clear indication that he wanted nothing but a win.
His side controlled the large part of the game, with free agent Lesedi Kapinga and Rowan Human knitting things together in the diamond shaped of between the forwards.
As much as the Bafana makeshift side dominated, eSwatini was the one who had shorts at goal, on target time and time again and Jethren Barr had to also parry in-swinging corner kicks away.
The eSwatini found the breakthrough as Matsebula fired home from the underside of the cross, after Allan made a mess of the clearance, misjudging the ball completely when he was trying to hack it.
A moment later, SA’s hearts were almost out in the mouth as Katlego Mohamme casually played a back pass and it was almost intercepted but Barr had to spring out to clear.
As it was not working for Ramoreboli, he threw in Mabasa, Shaune Mogaila, Tebogo Tlolane in search for the equaliser.
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It eventually came as Mabasa riffled home the equaliser in the 75 minutes. He added a second in the 89th minute by sliding it home, ensuring Bafana B side finished top of Group A.
