Pitso Mosimane set out to see what he had in his squad, and a heavily rotated Bafana Bafana side answered with a 1-0 win over Egypt in Cairo on 4 October. A debutant scored the only goal, and every member of the 30-man squad has now featured in the September-October window.
Wholesale Changes
Mosimane had promised sweeping changes and wanted every player to get game time. His message before the match was a plea for patience and support for young players who are breaking through, so the staff could see what was in the ranks.
The confirmed starting XI: Sipho Chaine; Ime Okon, Lebone Seema, Thabang Matuludi, Fawaaz Basadien; Sphephelo Sithole, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Tashreeq Matthews; Puso Dithejane, Luther Singh, Cassius Mailula.
Only Okon and Sithole kept their places from the 5-0 win over Eritrea on 30 September. Basadien, Matuludi, Sibisi, Dithejane, Matthews and Campbell had not played under Mosimane before this game. Bathusi Aubaas and Teboho Mokoena were ruled out by injuries sustained late last month.
How the Match Unfolded
Egypt were the more dominant side early on and pinned Bafana back. Both teams had chances, but Chaine and Egypt’s Oufa Shobeir were equal to them, and it stayed goalless at the break.
The deadlock broke six minutes into the second half. Campbell played a brilliant pass through the Egyptian defence, and Dithejane finished on his debut. Chaine later made way for Goss, who made several fine saves to protect the clean sheet. After a lengthy spell of added time, Bafana held on.
What the Result Tells Mosimane
With Ronwen Williams on the bench, both Chaine and Goss impressed. Mosimane did not need to call on Iqraam Rayners, though questions remain about Bafana’s options up front. Zwane, Kabini and Sibisi also stayed on the bench.
The coach now has a deeper pool to build on. The Egypt game was Bafana’s last fixture of the window, and the AFCON 2027 qualifiers resume in November, with players returning to their clubs in the PSL and abroad.
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