Iqela lesizwe lebhola ekhatywayo loMzantsi Afrika liphantsi koxinizelelo emva kokungawuphumeleli umdlalo ogqithileyo – kodwa ngempelaveki, liza kufumana ithuba lokuzama ukubiya ilahleko eliyenzileyo.
Ngentsimbi yesithathu ngoMgqibelo emalanga, iBafana Bafana yamkela iSeychelles kumdlalo obalulekileyo wokuzibekela indawo kwi2019 AFCON ekucingeleka ukuba ingasingathwa yiCameroon.
Nakubeni iBafana Bafana ithe ngcu kwindawo yesibini kuGroup E emva kokubetha iNigeria kunyaka ophelileyo – kodwa ukubambana ngeqanda neLibya kubonakele njengokuqhwayela emva.
ILibya ayilolizwe elinamandla kangako ebholeni kwaye isombethwe ziinkqwithela. Lo nto ithi uMzantsi Afrika kwakumele uyibethe – kodwa yase yayiLibya edlala umdlalo ongcono enkundleni yeBafana Bafana.
Amalungiselelo weBafana Bafana ahambe ngcono kweli tyeli ngaphandle kokonzakala kukaThapelo Morena noVincent Pule.
Bonke abadlali beqela lesizwe bayazi ukuba baliphoxile ilizwe labo kwaye umdlalo wangempelaveki lithuba lokugqibela lokubonisa abalandeli bebhola okokuba bayafuna ngokwenene ukuya kwiAFCON.
Ethetha noonondaba kule veki, uKamohelo Mokotjo, uvumile ukuba aBafana Bafana ngebadlala ngcono eMoses Mabhida Stadium.
“Kwakumeluba sidlale ngcono kumdlalo osekhaya – kodwa ke sadlala ntanganye, zange sibethwe ngethamsanqa. Umdlalo olandelayo ubaluleke kakhulu kuthi. Ndicinga ukuba kunyanzelekile sidlale umdlalo ophucukileyo. Kukho uxinizelelo emagxeni wethu – kodwa eyona nto ibalulekileyo kukufumana iziphumo ezihle emdlalweni,” utshilo uMokotjo.
Emva kokuba uMzantsi Afrika uphoswe ziitumente ezinkulu eziquka indebe yehlabathi ebikulo nyaka – uStuart Baxter uzama ngandlela zonke ezinokuthi ziphucule indlela elidlala ngayo iqela lakhe.
Abadlali abadlala ngaphandle koMzantsi abafana noDino Ndlovu, uMokotjo noPercy Tau – kulindeleke benze umahluko ngenxa yamava nomgangatho abadlala kuwo emaqeleni wabo. Akungeke kube lula ukudlala neSeychelles – kodwa iyabetheka.
Ingonjwe yiNigeria ngo’3-0 kutshanje. Mhlawumbi ubukho bukaShaun Bartlett, njengomncedisi kaBaxter, kungenza umahluko kwicala lokufaka amagowuli ngoba ingxaki yeBafana Bafana kukungakwazi ukufaka amagowuli.
Kulo umdlalo, aBafana Bafana abanalo isebe lokusithela. Kunyanzelekile baphumelele.
USteve Barker umchaze njengeqhawe uRayners ongcwabe iPolokwane City