Share

Bafana's World Cup dream shattered by Cape Verde

accreditation
Morgan Gould is challenged by Julio Tavares during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier match between South Africa and Cape Verde at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday. Picture: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images
Morgan Gould is challenged by Julio Tavares during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier match between South Africa and Cape Verde at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday. Picture: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images

South Africa’s dreams of going to next year’s World Cup in Russia went up in smoke when they lost 2-1 to Cape Verde at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night.

The defeat means Bafana dropped to fourth in the group standings and will need a miracle if they are to go to Russia. But with the kind of performances they have displayed in the two games against Cape Verde it doesn’t look likely.

A lot was expected from Bafana after their shock defeat in Praia, in the Cape Verde Islands, but they did not do enough to show they wanted it. They were lethargic in front of goals and struggled to create clear-cut scoring chances.

Bafana continued where they left off in Cape Verde last week with their below par performance and it was not surprising that they once again came off second best.

The home side only had one corner kick to show for their efforts in the opening half, while the visitors had three. The islanders surprised everyone with their approach as they never sat back but took the game to the hosts. They were on a mission to unsettle Bafana early on but the home side was up to the challenge.

Garry Rodrigues silenced South Africans in the 51st minute with a well-taken free kick that Wayne Sandilands could do nothing about. Rodrigues was again on the scoresheet a few minutes later with another wonderful strike and Cape Verde were on their way to making double over Bafana.

Andile Jali’s goal in the 89th minute gave the hosts false hopes of coming back in the contest but it was too little too late for Bafana.


Timothy Molobi
Deputy Sports Editor
City Press
p:+27 11 713 9619
w:www.citypress.co.za  e: timothy@citypress.co.za
      
 
Sign up for City Press' morning newsletter On a Point of Order here

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you believe that the various planned marches against load shedding will prompt government to bring solutions and resolve the power crisis?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes
21% - 103 votes
No
79% - 392 votes
Vote