Bafana Bafana’s five-goal response earns praise from Motsoeneng

Former Premier Soccer League goalkeeper Tshepo Motsoeneng has praised Bafana Bafana’s approach after their emphatic 5-0 win over Eritrea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

South Africa produced a ruthless attacking display in Cairo on Wednesday, with Relebohile Mofokeng scoring twice and Yaya Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh each finding the net once.

The result came after criticism and pressure in the build-up to the match, but Motsoeneng believes the team answered those concerns in the best possible way by prioritising efficiency and goals.

“After all the noise ahead of the Eritrea game, I believe this was a response, and the response was sweet. Bafana Bafana focused on economical football, they wanted goals. It depends on whether we want to see good football without goals, or football with plenty of goals and progressing. I mean, when last did we score five? I don’t remember us winning 5-0,” Motsoeneng told KickOff.

He said the performance showed a side intent on making the most of its opportunities rather than concentrating on entertaining supporters.

Motsoeneng also warned against dismissing Eritrea because of their status in African football. He argued that the gap between established nations and less-fancied teams has narrowed, making every qualifier potentially difficult.

“Yesterday we saw a Bafana Bafana team that didn’t wanna waste time entertaining an empty stadium, a team that was there to score goals. I’m happy with the result, I don’t look at the opposition. If you remember very well, nowadays the likes of Nigeria are getting beaten by anybody. So there are no more weaker national teams in qualifiers,” he concluded.

The win gave Bafana Bafana a commanding victory in their latest qualifying fixture, with the five-goal margin underlining the effectiveness of their direct approach. Motsoeneng’s comments reflect his view that the result was significant not only because of the scoreline, but also because of the response it represented after the scrutiny before kick-off.