South Africa's Bafana Bafana secured a 2-1 win over Guinea in their opening AFCON 2027 qualifier, despite squandering several chances. Head coach Pitso Mosimane praised his team's pressing intensity and attacking intent, acknowledging their long-standing finishing problems. Ime Okon opened the scoring in the first half before Guinea levelled through Seydouba Cisse, with substitute Samukelo Kabini restoring Bafana’s lead in the 77th minute.
Mosimane was reluctant to criticise his players for their missed chances, instead highlighting their willingness to create opportunities. “We know the South African challenge: we don’t score easily, we score two out of six maybe,” he said. “But you can’t complain about the boys. They have the right mentality, they want to play, they fight and they press, and we created opportunities.”
The comments underline a perennial issue Mosimane will be keen to address as Bafana continue their AFCON qualification campaign. South Africa could have put the result beyond doubt much earlier, particularly after controlling the first half and creating several openings. Instead, Guinea remained in the contest after Cisse’s equaliser, leaving Bafana needing Kabini’s late intervention to claim victory.
For Mosimane, the ability to consistently create chances provides a solid foundation on which to build. Bafana have started their campaign with three points in a tricky Group D, where Kenya’s automatic qualification as one of the 2027 tournament hosts leaves South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea competing for the group’s remaining qualification spot.
Mosimane will now turn his attention to Eritrea, with Bafana facing them in Egypt on 30 September. While the result provided the ideal start to his second spell in charge, improving South Africa’s efficiency in front of goal could prove just as vital as creating those chances in the matches ahead.
The win marked a positive start to Mosimane's second spell as Bafana coach, with the team showing steel and tactical depth to secure three points at Orlando Amstel Arena. The coach's early decisions suggest competition will be fierce, with established stars challenged to maintain standards while youngsters push for their opportunities.
Bafana's next challenge will be to build on this momentum and address their finishing issues ahead of their match against Eritrea. With a solid foundation of creating chances, Mosimane will look to fine-tune his team's efficiency in front of goal to ensure a strong campaign in the AFCON qualifiers.
Key points
- Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane praises team's pressing intensity and attacking intent despite squandering several chances in 2-1 win over Guinea.
- Mosimane acknowledges Bafana's long-standing finishing problems, but is optimistic about the team's chances in the AFCON qualifiers.
- Bafana face Eritrea in their next match on 30 September in Egypt, looking to build on their positive start to the campaign.
