Iqhayiya lesizwe – iBafana Bafana – lidlale oyena mdlali oncumisayo emva kwethuba elide lagqibela ngethuba libetha iSenegal ngo’2-1 kumdlalo obunzima kakhulu kaGroup D ePeter Mokaba Stadium ngale njikalanga yanamhlanje. Lo mdlalo ibingowesibini kuleyo yamazwe ezwekazi le Afrika azama ukuzibekela indawo kwindebe yehlabathi yebhola ekhatywayo ezakube isingethwe yiRussia ngo’2018.

Ngomzuzu wamashumi amane ananye ukapteni, uThulani Hlatshwayo, kuye kwanyanzeleka abonise ubunkokeli bakhe ngethuba kungekho bani ofuna ukuthatha ipenela oyiphiwe ngusompempe uMzantsi Afrika. Ngethamsanqa, uyibeke emnatheni lo bhola eHlatshwayo. Emva koko uThulani Serero ulandelise ngelakhe ngomzuzu wamashumi amabini anesihlanu.

Umdlali uqale ngokubambana futhi kubonakala ukuba omabini la mazwe akafuni kuphisa ngamagowuli. Intsebenziswano ebiphakathi kukaHlatshwayo, Eric Matholo, Rivaldo Coetzee noThabo Matlaba phaya emva ivavanyiwe amatyeli aliqela zizidlakela zamadoda aseSenegal kodwa ema ngxi amakhwenkwe kaShakes Mashaba.

UTiyani Mabunda usebenze ngokuzimisela no-Andile jail esiswini nangona ebeqala ukudlalela iBafana Bafana kumdlalo obalulekileyo.

Abadlali abahlaselayo uMpho Makola, Keagan Dolly noSerero bebeyiphethe mantsantsa iSenegal phaya phambili kwaye basebenzisane kakuhle no-Eleazar Rodgers obedlala yedwa njengefolosi futhi obegadiwe.

Kuyiwe kwixesha lokuphumla uMzantsi Afrika uphala phambili ngamagowuli amabini eqandeni. Kuthe kwesesibini isigaba somdlalo abadlali beSenegal badlokova oku kwenkomo etyiwa sisibawu. Bankqonkqoze amatyeli aliqela kwiimpondo zeBafana Bafana – kodwa u-Itumeleng Khune akavuma. Emva kweenzame eziliqela kuthe ngomzuzu wamashumi amahlanu anesixhenxe yafumana igowuli lokubika iSenegal.

Ihlasele isityawu-tyawu sento emva koko iSenegal – kodwa ayikwazanga ukulifumana elokulinganisa igowuli. Namhlanje iqela lesizwe loMzantsi Afrika lenze umsebenzi omhle kumdlalo obekunyanzelekile liwuphumelele. Abalandeli baseLimpopo abebezalise iPeter Mokaba Stadium bagoduke bexolile ezintliziyweni zabo emva kokufumana umdlalo obukumgangatho ophezulu.

Nangona bezikhona iimpazamo ezixhalabisayo ezenziwe ngabadlali bakaShakes Mashaba emdlalweni ezinje ngokungawasebenzi kakuhle amathuba nokungabikho kozinzo ngokwasengqondweni kubadlali xa behamba phambili ngamagowuli – kodwa zizinto (ezo) ezingalungiswa kakuhle ukuzithemba kuphezulu kumdlalo ozayo xa (aBafana Bafana) besamkela iCape Verde kunyaka ozayo. Ngoku uShakes Mashaba uya kwikhefu evuya ngokuba enethuba lokuya kwindebe yehlabathi elicacileyo, phofu ukuba, iqela lakhe liyayiphumelela imidlalo ebalulekileyo ezayo ekhaya nasekuhambeni.

Bafana XI: Khune, Hlatshwayo, Mathoho, Coetzee, Matlaba, Jali, Mabunda, Makola, Serero (Klate 80′), Rodgers (Grobler 58′), Dolly (Kekana 71′).

Subs: Williams, Daniels, Mphahlele, Mbekile, Mahlangu, Vilakazi, Veldwijk, Patosi.

Senegal XI: Diallo, Mbodji, Koulibaly, Gueye, Konate (Diouf 60′), Kouyate, Mane, Diame (Ndoye 46′), Ciss, Balde, Gassama (Toure 83′).