South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane celebrates Bafana Bafana’s perfect AFCON qualifiers start

South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane has expressed his delight after Bafana Bafana continued their perfect start to the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a commanding 5-0 victory over Eritrea in Egypt on Tuesday night.

The result gave South Africa their second consecutive win in the qualifiers, following their opening victory over Guinea last Saturday.

Mosimane’s side produced another strong attacking display in Egypt, finding the back of the net five times while keeping a clean sheet to collect another valuable three points.

The former South Africa coach was pleased with the result but also highlighted the importance of respecting an Eritrea side that he believes posed a genuine threat, particularly in the early stages of the contest.

“You’re a coach, you’ll be happy with five goals, you are happy with three points. Eritrea started very good, very strong and they had a chance, they hit the post,” Mosimane said after the match.

The experienced coach also singled out Eritrea’s number 10, Ali, as a player South Africa had identified as a potential danger before the game.

“Their number 10 Ali is very dangerous, we know he scores goals but we had to look after him because he’s very important to look after,” he added.

Mosimane explained that Bafana Bafana had studied Eritrea’s previous performance and were aware of the threat they could pose despite their position in the group.

“We saw how they played against Kenya, they were leading and Kenya equalised late. So, we had to give them the respect that they deserve and I’m happy that we won, that’s more important,” the coach said.

The victory means South Africa have now collected six points from their opening two matches, putting them in a strong position early in the qualifying campaign.

For Mosimane, however, the focus remains on maintaining the team’s momentum and continuing to pick up results as the qualifiers progress.

“Two games, six points and a few goals if possible,” he added.

The five-goal victory also provided Bafana Bafana with a significant boost in goal difference, which could become important as the qualification race develops.

South Africa will now turn their attention to the next stage of the campaign with the objective of building on their perfect start and maintaining their position among the leading teams in their qualifying group.

For Mosimane, the immediate priority is clear: continue collecting points while ensuring the team remains focused despite the impressive start.