Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana return marked by 5-0 win over Eritrea

Bafana Bafana celebrated their 500th game since returning to international football with a 5-0 victory over Eritrea in Cairo, on a night that also marked South Africa’s rise to 50th in the FIFA rankings and their meeting with a 50th different African opponent since readmission in 1992.

Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice as Pitso Mosimane’s return as national team coach began with a landmark result. The win also gave South Africa two victories from two in their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

The symmetry of the occasion reflected the progress Bafana Bafana have made during the 34 years since they re-entered international football.

Their first match after readmission came in July 1992, when South Africa defeated Cameroon 1-0 in Durban. Doctor Khumalo scored the winning penalty, in a side that included five Kaizer Chiefs players: Khumalo, Neil Tovey, Donald ‘Ace’ Khuse, Fani Madida and Lucas Radebe.

Four years later, South Africa reached the top of African football. Mark Williams scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over Tunisia in the 1996 AFCON final at FNB Stadium, securing Bafana’s first continental title.

The next major breakthrough came in 1997, when Phil Masinga’s goal against Congo confirmed South Africa’s qualification for their first FIFA World Cup. Bafana went on to compete at France 1998.

Benni McCarthy scored South Africa’s first World Cup goal a year later, finding the net against Denmark. Aaron Mokoena subsequently became Bafana’s most-capped player, finishing with 107 appearances.

Siphiwe Tshabalala added another defining moment at the 2010 tournament, scoring the memorable opening goal against Mexico in South Africa’s first match of that World Cup.

A new generation is now beginning to establish its own place in the team’s history, with Mofokeng central to the latest milestone.

The 21-year-old had made 17 appearances for the national team without scoring before breaking that run with two goals against Eritrea. Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh also found the net.

The emphatic result ranks among Bafana Bafana’s biggest victories since South Africa returned to international football, adding further weight to an already significant evening.

From Doctor Khumalo’s penalty against Cameroon and Masinga’s decisive strike against Congo to Williams’ AFCON final goals, McCarthy’s World Cup breakthrough, Mokoena’s record number of appearances and Tshabalala’s iconic effort, the national team’s modern history has been shaped by landmark moments.

At their 500th game, against their 50th African opponent and with South Africa ranked 50th by FIFA, Mofokeng and his team-mates supplied another.

The scoreline completed the pattern: 500 games, 50 opponents, 50th in the FIFA rankings and a 5-0 win.