By Michael Madyira
Bafana Bafana perfectly responded to last week’s defeat by Mali in emphatic style with a 4-0 victory over Namibia in this Africa Cup of Nations Group E match on Sunday.
Themba Zwane’s brace was the major highlight of the evening, with the Mamelodi Sundowns first hitting target on 25 minutes, before doubling his effort five minutes before the halftime break.
Percy Tau had opened the floodgates at Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly with a 14th-minute penalty.
Substitute Thapelo Maseko then sealed the convincing win with 15 minutes to go as South Africa recorded the biggest victory margin of this Afcon edition
It was yet another fruitful outing for Bafana against Namibia at Afcon finals after also previously beating their neighbours in 1998 and 2019.
Sunday’s result propelled Hugo Broos’ men from the bottom of Group E to second ahead of their final match against Tunisia, while Namibia dropped to third.
Broos made two changes from the team that started and lost 2-0 to Mali, bringing in Thapelo Morena for Maseko as Siyanda Xulu made way for Grant Kekana to complete an all-Sundowns back four.
Broos’ Namibian counterpart Collin Benjamin opted not to tamper with the team that stunned Tunisia 1-0 last week.
As the two teams were trying to settle into the contest, AmaZulu star Riaan Hanamub handled inside the box while challenging Morena and Bafana were awarded a penalty for a second successive match.
Tau braved up to take it and beat Chippa United goalkeeper Lloyd Kazapua to atone for last week’s miss against Mali.
Namibia then tried to respond on 23 minutes but Deon Hotto arrived a shade too slow to head in a Hanamub cross.
Soon after, South Africa further unsettled the Brave Warriors when Themba Zwane connected, at first time, a loss cross from Morena.
Bafana were enjoying an upper hand and Zwane then produced another masterclass, curling home past Kazapua after outrunning a Namibian defender on the left flank to make it 3-0.
Although Namibia came back from the break enjoying more possession, it never yielded anything.
They were then deflated by substitute Maseko who killed the match as a contest with a blistering shot that was too hot for Kazapua whose attempt to block it only aided the ball into the net.
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana attacker Themba Zwane vies for the ball against Namibia defender Kennedy Amutenya.
Image source: Bafana Bafana
