Mosimane praises Sebelebele and Makhanya after Bafana Bafana win

Pitso Mosimane praised the performances of Kamogelo Sebelebele, Olwethu Makhanya and Ime Okon after Bafana Bafana began their AFCON qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea on Saturday afternoon.

South Africa impressed in the first half by pressing Guinea high up the pitch and winning possession in dangerous areas, but Mosimane admitted his side’s failure to convert more chances remained a concern.

“Guinea did not come here to play. They are a good team and they have got that boy from Girona who was bossing the midfield, unbelievable,” Mosimane told SABC Sport.

“We played it well, especially in the first half. The message was there: we pressed on top, we pressed them and we stole a few balls. But you know our South African problem, right?”

The Bafana Bafana coach said missed opportunities could prove costly against stronger opposition, warning that top international teams would punish them if they were given similar chances.

“Eish, oohs, we don’t finish the chances,” he added. “You know what’s going to happen later when you play these quality teams – they will punish you when they get their chance.”

Mosimane was particularly pleased with the contribution of Sebelebele, who came on for Sailor and was used to deal with Guinea’s dangerous wide players.

He said the player’s pace made him well suited to a one-versus-one battle, especially against Guinea’s number 10.

“We have to give them a chance to play. They were part of the World Cup, and this is a chance for them,” Mosimane said.

“You can see Sebelebele one-versus-one. He came on for Sailor and did an unbelievable job against these wingers, especially that number 10.”

Mosimane explained that Sebelebele’s speed was a key reason for his introduction, while acknowledging the difficulty of defending an opponent who possessed greater skill and trickery.

“Sebelebele showed he has got speed. That’s why we played him there because he is quick, and the other guy is full of trickery – you know it’s very difficult,” he said.

The coach also highlighted Makhanya and Okon, who were required to cope with the threat of a striker from Dortmund.

“But I’m also for Makhanya. You can’t play against the striker from Dortmund, so they showed quality. Ike showed quality,” Mosimane said.

Despite the win, he said South Africa needed to become more clinical in front of goal as their qualifying campaign progressed.

“Ronwen is good, we’re good. We just need to score goals, we need to score the chances, because when you play against all these big nations they will punish you. You won’t come back,” Mosimane said.