Bafana kicked out of Cosafa Cup despite unbeaten run

Bafana Bafana were eliminated from the Cosafa Cup despite winning 1-0 against Eswatini in their final Group A match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday.

The hosts finished second with Mozambique — who beat Botswana 2-1 in the other match — topping the group. Bafana and Mozambique are tied on five points, but a superior goal difference saw the Mambas advance to the semifinals.

The new-look Bafana were not convincing in the tournament, with two draws and a win in their three matches, while scoring two goals in the process. Yesterday, they needed a win to progress to the semifinals after drawing their last two matches against Mozambique and Botswana.

They got off to a flyer when Thabang Sibanyoni rose above his marker to head home from a corner at the near post in the third minute. But that was not enough to see the hosts progress to the next round as they needed to score another goal, with Mozambique winning 2-1. After scoring the opener, Bafana enjoyed dominance but didn’t hurt Eswatini anymore.

Eswatini thought they had equalised in the half-hour mark through Ayanda Gadlela, who got behind Bafana’s defence before rounding Mondli Mpoto for a composed finish, but he was flagged offside, though replays showed the goal should have stood.

Bafana missed a chance to increase their lead late in the first half when Ashely Cupido broke through from a pass by Ethan Brooks but was unable to beat Xolani Gama.

With a goal down, Eswatini were a threat going forward and caused some problems for the Bafana defence. Eswatini knew they were still in the game and upped the tempo in the second half. They had clear-cut chances to equalise, but fluffed them.

The visitors should have equalised just before the hour mark, but Andy Junior Magagula somehow headed over the crossbar with an open goal at his mercy from six yards out.

With Mozambique winning 2-1 in the other match against Botswana, it meant they topped the group, courtesy of a superior goal difference.

Bafana could not add to their tally which proved costly as they finished second and missed out on the semifinals