Vincent Pule enjoyed a decent debut, while Dean Furman and Itumeleng Khune put in solid shifts for Bafana Bafana who played to a 0-0 draw against a resilient Libyan side in a 2019 AFCON qualifier, writes MARSHALL GOUTS.
1) Tricky debut for a tricky player
The Orlando Pirates winger enjoyed a lively debut which lasted for 45 minutes before being replaced by the in-form Bradley Grobler. The occasion didn’t prove too big for the 26-year-old, who played his normal attacking game. He showed confidence in taking on the defenders and more importantly delivering an end product into the box.
Pule showed his inexperience at national team level when he lost the ball with his back to goal in midfield which almost resulted in a goal for the Libyan’s, but fortunately for the winger and South Africa, the post came to their rescue to spare their blushes.
The former Wits player showed glimpses of his quality – from a deadball situation in the 21st minute, feeding in a beautiful corner at the near post which almost resulted in a goal.
For a man who has zero national team experience (hasn’t played at junior national teams) he looks like a talent that could be roped into the national team for the future.
2) Dangerous Libyans
There’s no doubting that Bafana should have made the most of their home ground advantage in their clash against Libya. A draw at home is simply not good enough, however, credit must be given where it is due. The Mediterranean Knights were certainly no push-overs, not only did they come prepared for the fight, but they showed hunger in wanting the victory away from home with their rapid transition play.
They were content on allowing the home side to dominate possession stakes, before pouncing on transition. They were very direct in approach by not keeping possession too long, before launching their meticulous attacks. Had it not been for the two telling saves made by goalkeeper Khune as well as the ball coming off the pole in the first-half, Stuart Baxter’s side may have not walked away with a point at all.
3) Furman – Mokotjo – Vilakazi (Midfield trio)
Due to the injuries to Bongani Zungu, Hlompho Kekana and Themba Zwane, Baxter was forced to shuffle things around in the engine room. The former Kaizer Chiefs coach opted for a midfield trio of Furman, Kamohelo Moktotjo and Sibusiso Vilakazi.
Furman was arguably Bafana’s best outfield player on the pitch. He went about his business as usual, breaking down the Libyan attacks and even coming close to scoring with his two shots at goal in the match.
Mokotjo didn’t enjoy the greatest of performances and was caught in possession one or two times, which is a rare feat for the Brentford man. He didn’t offer much in the way of attack, but did an excellent job in nicking possession from the Libyan’s on a few occasions.
Vila blew hot and cold and was replaced in the 80th minute by Aubrey Modiba. Offensively, he displayed his class by piercing the Libyan defence open with a driving run here and a defence-splitting pass there, however that was about it. Wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t vintage Vila either.
Baxter altered his midfield as the clash went on, but the overwhelming feeling is that the absence of midfielders Zungu and Zwane was sorely missed.
4) Our defence survived
Aided by the heroics of Khune in the first stanza, the Bafana back four managed to do the job, however, they had their fair share of shaky moments.
Offensively our full backs Sifiso Hlanti (arguably Bafana’s second-best outfield player) and Ramahlwe Mphahlele did well going forward as he put in a number of telling deliveries into the area. On the defensive, the Libyan side looked to exploit the defensive frailties of Rama on the right-hand side.
The central-defensive partnership of Buhle Mkhwanazi and Thulani Hlatshwayo were tested on several occasions and were caught ball-watching as they initially struggled to deal with the direct approach of the Mediterranean Knights. A massive improvement from the Bidvest Wits trio of Mkhwanazi, Hlatshwayo and Hlanti got better as the game went on and this was characterised by captain Hlatshwayo’s goal-saving challenge in the 65th minute of the game.
5) Breaking down the bus
In preparation for the clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Baxter’s men took part in a friendly against AmaZulu with a particular focus on breaking down opponents who like to defend deep.
Bafana certainly did their homework by opting for two defensive midfielders, but defensively, at a stage, it looked like the Libyans were going to score with each attack, which begs the question: Did Baxter underestimate the attacking prowess of the opponents or did he just fail to properly do his homework?
The question won’t be pertinent now as they didn’t lose the game, however if Bafana fails to qualify for AFCON 2019, this game will be seen as a turning point in our journey to qualify.
A change ensued in the second-half, which helped enormously. Grobler was introduced. Furman and Mokotjo were paired in midfield to shield the back-four. There was a visible improvement in our second-half display with Keagan Dolly and Percy Tau looking to link up in attack. Baxter made two substitutions and tinkered with the midfield, but the fact remains that we looked toothless – something that will need to be quickly addressed if we are to qualify for next year’s continental showpiece.
Photo: Gallo Images
