Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund believes the team is in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages of the African Nations Championship, following a 3-1 victory over Mozambique on the opening day of the continental competition in Cape Town on Saturday.
 |
| Bernard Parker |
Bernard Parker netted twice, while Hlompho Kekana added a third, as Bafana Bafana came back from a goal down to defeat their southern African neighbours in front of 26,000 supporters at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point.
South Africa, now hosting its fourth successive major tournament, having already hosted the 2009 Confederations Cup, the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, failed to win their opening games in all three of those previous events.
Parker's brace, however, changed all that and steered Bafana to a morale-boosting win, leaving Igesund optimistic about his team's chances at progression.
"When we played in the Africa Cup of Nations we drew our first game. It was difficult from there onwards, it put a lot of pressure," Igesund said of last year's competition.
"Today's victory gives the players a lot of confidence, it makes the supporters get behind us and fill the stadium up when we play, they start believing again.
"History will tell you and the statistics will tell you, that any team that wins the first game of any tournament, has a 70 percent chance of qualifying. But we know it's only 70 percent and not 100 percent. We still have work to do, we still have to play against Mali and, of course, we still have to play against Nigeria."
The home side went behind early, as Mozambique's Diogo Alberto silenced the Cape Town Stadium with a soft strike which goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune failed to keep out.
But shortly before the interval, Parker sent the teams level from the penalty spot, before Kekana scored a long-range stinger, to help South Africa toward all three points.
Parker sealed his brace seven minutes from the end, as the Mambas were brushed aside, sending South Africa top of the pile in group A.
"We were good for the goals, I thought we scored fantastic goals today, especially Kekana's goal from 35 yards," Igesund said of the scoreline.
"Those are the kind of goals you dream about. When he struck the ball, I thought to myself, 'he's a little bit far, maybe he's taken the wrong choice here.
"But when he hit it and it was going, you could see it had goal written all over it."
Igesund handed a debut start to late call-up Thato Mokeke, who replaced the injured Tsepo Masilela ahead of the start of the event, while youngsters Lindokuhle Mbatha and Asavela Mbekile came on from the bench, a statistic that pleased the national coach.
"The one thing that really excited me today, was the fact that out on the field, I think I had five players who made their debuts," he said.
Source: news24.com
Tags : chan, bafana ,cape town,2014,parker, igesund,south africa, Mozambique***Social***
Twitter: twitter.com/salovesfootball
***Get Our Apps***
BlackBerry : tiny.cc/appbbsalf
Android : tiny.cc/droidsalf
Mobi : salovesfootball.mobi
**********
