Playing in Bloem was full circle moment for me – Morena
Image: Johan Pretorius
Thapelo Morena has implied that scoring a brace for Bafana Bafana at Free State Stadium evoked pleasant memories of his time there with Bloemfontein Celtic.
Morena, who spent three years at Phunya Sele Sele before moving to his current club Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016, came off the bench to net a second half brace that helped Bafana beat neighbours Zimbabwe 3-1 in the 2026 World Cup qualifier, enjoying a boisterous atmosphere at a packed Free State Stadium. Celtic sold their Premiership status to Royal AM in 2021, leaving the football-crazy community of Free State without a PSL team to date.
The win boosted Bafana's chances of qualifying for the upcoming global showpiece, to be hosted by three nations in the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026. SA are now second in Group C of the qualifiers on seven points, one behind less-fancied leaders Rwanda, who have a better goal difference after four games.
“Firstly, coming to Bloem is something different, the feeling is amazing. I had told the guys that in Bloem we will have more supporters, so we must work very hard and give them a good show on the pitch,'' Morena, who was also voted Man of the Match, said.
“Scoring two goals here was very emotional for me, because I know I played here and I have a lot of history at this stadium even at Dr Molemela Stadium, so I had to do my level best to give the supporters the best they know me for. As the team, we wanted to give back to the Bloemfontein fans and the nation at large.''
The 30-year-old utility winger, who hails from Randfontein on the West rand, also weighed in on being mainly used as a substitute.
“Like the coach always says, every player is important. When you are sitting on the bench, you can see the match a bit differently because you have the side view and obviously you can hear the instructions from the coaches. So, for me it has always been important to stay focused, believing that I'd come in and deliver,'' Morena stated.
Iqraam Rayners scored Bafana's opener just 30 second into the game, before exciting starlet Tawanda Chirewa, 20, restored parity a few seconds later, albeit his fine strike eventually proved a mere consolation.