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Bafana claim bronze in Cosafa Cup

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Bafana Bafana defeated Malawi 5-3 on penalties to claim the bronze medal at the Cosafa Cup tournament at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

Malawi played better in the first half, putting a lot of pressure on South Africa’s makeshift defence. Coach Morena Ramoreboli put two teenagers on the field to start the game: Puso Dithejane at wing back and Siyabonga Gumede at right centre back. Despite a lot of pressure, the two players did not disappoint.

At halftime, Ramoreboli made a number of changes. Teenagers and striker Victor Letsoalo were taken out of the game, and captain Lyle Lakay, Iqraam Reyners, and Thembela Sikhakhane came in. In the second half, the South Africans took control of the game, but it was too bad that Reyners’ shot hit the post.

Bafana kept passing the ball around in the middle, but the Malawi defence was too strong.

During regular time, the score was 0-0, so it came down to penalties, where both goalkeepers were in the spotlight. Malawi missed their fourth penalty, which could have kept them in the shootout. South Africa’s fifth and final penalty was made by Rowan Human, giving the hosts the bronze medal.

“If you saw in the second half, we were playing a different system, more of your 4-2-2-2. We wanted to try and cover the central zone, playing into those half spaces,” Ramoreboli said after the game.

“It’s just unfortunate that with all the opportunities in the second half, we could not just get a goal.”

Photo by Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix