Wenze into adume ngayo kwakhona uThalente Mbatha watsho waphumelela uMzantsi Afrika. UMbatha ufake igowuli elincede aBafana Bafana ababethe iSouth Sudan ngamagowuli amathathu kwamabini (3-2) emdlalweni obunzima eJuba National Stadium emalanga namhlanje. Kokwesibini uMbatha esenza imbali kwiqela lesizwe. Kwiveki ephelileyo, ungene wafaka igowuli elihlangule uMzantsi Afrika obambene ngo’2-2 ne’Uganda emdlalweni obuse’Orlando Stadium, eSoweto, kwiveki ephelileyo.
Namhlanje uphinde wenza imbali emdlalweni wakhe wesibini kwiqela lesizwe. Ufake igowuli lempumelelo emdlalweni ebekunyanzelekile uMzantsi Afrika uwuphumelele. Nakubeni bekunzima ukudlala neSouth Sudan ebizimisele phambi kwabalandeli bayo abebegcwalise iJuba Stadium – kodwa okubalulekileyo kukuba uMzantsi Afrika ubuye namanqaku amathathu watsho walingana ngamanqaku ne’Uganda ekwindawo yokuqala kuGroup K. Le yimidlalo ehlakulela iAfrica Cup of Nations eza kubanjelwa eMorocco kunyaka ozayo.
Kuyiwe ekhefini aBafana Bafana behamba phambili ngamagowuli amabini afakwe sisiququ, u’Oswin Appollis. Bekufanele ukuba bafumene amagowuli amaninzi ukuba bebekwazile abadlali ukuwasebenzisa amathuba. UThemba Zwane, uThapelo Morenna, Appollis noModiba bazamile ukukhabela iipali – kodwa ayavuma ibhola ukungena emnatheni amatyeli aliqela. Nayo iSouth Sudan izamile ngoba iye kwixesha lokuphuma inegowuli elifumene ngepenela efakwe nguYuel Kuach odlaliswe kakubi nguSiyabonga Ngezana obebotshwe noRushwin Dortley emva.
Umdlalo ubunzima ebadlalini boMzantsi Afrika ngenxa yemozulu. Bekushushu kakhulu kwaphinda kwana imvula kwisigaba sesibini. Idlale umdlalo obhetele kakhulu iSouth Sudana kwisigaba sesibini, ngakumbi emva kokufumana ogowuli lokulinganisa elifakwe nguTito Okello. Belikhona ithemba lokuba ingafumana inqaku emdlalweni wayo – kodwa ngelishwa layo, uMbatha ufike wenza idemeshe. Ngoku uMzantsi Afrika kufuneka ulunguselele ukudibana neCongo ekunyanzelekileyo ukuba uyibethe ukuze ukwazi ukubhukuqa i’Uganda ehleli phezulu kuGroup K.
Lumka Oliphant: ‘Yekani utywala’