Bafana Bafana Wallops
Warriors
Tony Ekata, Johannesburg
South
Africa’s national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, has thrashed the
Warriors of Zimbabwe three goals to nil, in a friendly
international played at the ultra modern Moses Mabhida Stadium
in Durban on Wednesday night.
The win ends a successful two-week camp in Durban in which
Bafana also hammered Swaziland 6-2 in a practice match
last weekend.
Wednesday’s victory was significant for the home based players
who constituted the training camp, as they were awarded caps
unlike the match against Swaziland.
For Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Perreira, it was his first
win in three matches in charge of Bafana since he replaced his
compatriot Joel Santana last November.
Goalless first half
The Zimbabwean team, more than half of whom ply their trade in
South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, held Bafana goal-less in
the first forty-five minutes.
The South Africans however took charge of the game in the second
half and were rewarded with a fiftieth minute goal from a
brilliant free kick by left-footed Simphiwe Tsabalala.
Cheered on by over thirty-five thousand fans, Bafana added
another in the 74th minute and sealed the game with an
injury time goal.
New stadium hosts match
It was the first time Bafana played at the new seventy-five
thousand capacity stadium, built at the cost of three-point two
billion rand.
The new stadium will feature some of the world’s top players
during the June 2010 World Cup.
Perreira will be taking the boys on a training tour to his home
country Brazil in March, as part of his plan to build a national
team that will live up to expectations as host of Africa’s first
World Cup.
Yinka
