Vilakazi backs Mosimane’s bold changes after Bafana beat Egypt

Benedict Vilakazi believes Pitso Mosimane has brought a more adventurous approach to Bafana Bafana than former head coach Hugo Broos, saying South Africa were too afraid to attack under the Belgian.

Mosimane began his second spell in charge with a 2-1 victory over Guinea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at Orlando Stadium. Bafana Bafana then followed that result with a 5-0 win against Eritrea to move top of Group D.

South Africa ended the FIFA break with another positive result, edging Egypt 1-0 in Cairo after Puso Dithejane scored in the second half.

The main talking point from the match was Mosimane’s decision to make wholesale changes to his starting line-up. Luther Singh, Tashreeq Matthews, Cassius Mailula, Brooklyn Poggenpoel and goalkeeper Sipho Chaine were among those given an opportunity.

Former Orlando Pirates captain Vilakazi praised the coach for trusting the players and taking a different tactical approach.

“If it was coach Hugo Broos, he was going to go with his own team, he was not going to make those changes, never!” Vilakazi said on the omniaudioafrica YouTube Channel.

“And two, Broos was going to defend, not having attacking players. Coach Pitso, because he understands African football, he understands players who are playing in South Africa and players playing for the Egypt team.”

Vilakazi said he was convinced Broos would have adopted a more cautious strategy in Cairo, contrasting it with Mosimane’s decision to make significant changes.

“We played against Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, what happened? We defended and we ended up losing the game,” he said.

“Not that they were better than us, but we were afraid of trying to create something, trying to use our players with individual brilliance, trying to play according to the strengths of our players.”

He added that Mosimane’s selection surprised both the opposition and those watching from South Africa.

“Coach Pitso came with something different,” Vilakazi said.

“Something different that coach Pitso did was new line-up. The line-up shocked the Egyptians, even myself. I know you need to give players a chance, I had mixed emotions, but coach Pitso came with something I didn’t think of, to change almost the whole team and all those players said, ‘Coach we’re here for you’.”

The victory over Egypt came after Bafana Bafana had already established a perfect start to Mosimane’s return, with the wins over Guinea and Eritrea leaving them at the summit of their AFCON qualifying group.