Bafana Bafana delivered a five-star performance with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Eritrea in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Al Salam Stadium in Egypt on Wednesday night.
The win followed their 2-1 victory against Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena over this past weekend, steering them five points clear of the chasing pack in Group D.
Oswin Appollis was the creative engine behind the rout, Kamogelo Sebelebele produced another composed 90 minutes shift and Lebone Seema marked a landmark moment of his own with a senior international debut.
After surviving an early onslaught from their hosts following a jittery start. They came out of that period unscathed, manufacturing chances of their own.
Former Buccaneer, Relebohile Mofokeng opened the scoring in the 19th minute, finishing a move crafted by Appollis to settle any early nerves and set the tone for the night.
Mofokeng doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time, scoring his second of the night in the 45th minute to send South Africa into the break two goals clear.
The second half followed the same pattern. Yaya Sithole made it 3-0 seven minutes after the restart, and in the 63rd minute Appollis turned provider again, this time for Iqraam Rayners to add the fourth who pounced on Appollis’ shot that was parried by the keeper.
The final goal arrived deep into stoppage time. In the 94th minute Appollis set up Luther Singh for the fifth, completing the scoreline and his own tally of three assists.
Appollis was the most influential attacking player on the pitch. His three assists came at decisive points across the match: the opener that settled South Africa, the fourth that put the contest beyond Eritrea, and the fifth that rounded off the night.
With qualification off to a perfect start, with two wins out of two, Pitso Mosimane’s men now turn their attention to an international friendly against Egypt on 6 October.
