Sithole earns Kekana praise after Bafana’s Cairo victory

Sphephelo Sithole’s midfield performance in South Africa’s 1-0 win over Egypt has been praised by former Bafana Bafana international Hlompho Kekana, who believes Pitso Mosimane can help the midfielder develop even further.

Puso Dithejane scored the only goal as Mosimane’s side secured a hard-fought victory over the Pharaohs in Cairo on Sunday evening.

The result made it three successive wins for Mosimane since his return to the Bafana Bafana dugout. South Africa had previously defeated Eritrea and Guinea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Sithole, affectionately known as Yaya, started all three matches and again impressed in the centre of midfield against Egypt.

Kekana highlights Sithole’s confidence

Kekana, a former Bafana Bafana star and Mamelodi Sundowns legend, selected Sithole as the outstanding player after the match.

“Today, our best player was Yaya in that midfield. Yaya played like a season campaigner,” Kekana said during his post-match analysis on SABC Sport.

“And I say Yaya, I single out Yaya because he has got so many ticks in terms of his performance, his body positioning, and sometimes the way he uses the ball.”

Kekana said Sithole had shown a different level of confidence in Cairo, particularly in his positioning and willingness to play the ball forward.

“You saw a different Yaya today in terms of how he used the ball, the body positioning; he was positive in his approach, the forward passes,” he added.

Mosimane’s role in Sithole’s development

The former Bafana Bafana midfielder believes Mosimane can refine Sithole’s game by helping him improve his movement and positioning when receiving possession.

“And I did mention to Jabu that coach Pitso will polish and improve his game in terms of body positioning and where he wants him to take the balls because he’s that kind of a player who knows how to use the ball,” Kekana said.

Kekana suggested that a lack of confidence had previously affected Sithole’s use of possession. He also referred to the impact of a mistake the midfielder made at the World Cup.

“It’s just that at some moment, he was lacking confidence in using the ball. And I’m sure, more than anything, the mistake that he made in the World Cup, I think that was one mistake that let him down.”