Excellent Bafana march on towards World Cup with win against Benin

Bafana Bafana are marching towards a first World Cup qualification other than as hosts since 2002, coach Hugo Broos’s men notching another excellently executed victory, 2-0 against Benin in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday.

Lyle Foster was rewarded for a Trojan effort spearheading the attack at Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny with the 53rd-minute opener. Prodigious talent Jayden Adams, coming off the bench, contributed his second goal in two matches in the 84th.

South Africa put a dent in the chances of Benin, in second place in a strong campaign under former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr going into the game.

Crucially, Bafana also kept comfortable breathing space between themselves and Nigeria, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe in Uyo.

South Africa now have a commanding 13 points and five-point lead from six matches in group C. Rwanda, who drew 1-1 against Lesotho in Kigali, are in second place on eight, the same as Benin. Nigeria have seven points, Lesotho six and Zimbabwe four.

It would be a tragedy if an off-field issue derailed Bafana’s best chance of reaching a World Cup in 23 years.

The Bafana camp were rocked on Tuesday by the realisation of an administrative bungle that had seen Teboho Mokoena fielded in Friday’s 2-0 win against Lesotho despite being on two yellow cards, meaning he should have been suspended.

The South African Football Association believes the matter will not result in a sanction, perhaps even a points deduction, because Lesotho did not protest within a 24-hour deadline.

Nonetheless, the development and possibility Lesotho and Nigeria seem likely to still push for disciplinary action, was not the sort of news a national team needed going into such a crucial game.

And in importance, the clash in Abidjan was huge. With a win or draw Bafana — leading group C on 10 points by two points from Benin going into the game — could keep their noses in front.

There was also the awareness Nigeria, group favourites ahead of the campaign but who suffered a nightmare start, had gone to six points with Thursday’s 2-0 away win against Rwanda. A defeat for South Africa and win for Nigeria at home to Zimbabwe would leave a point between Bafana and the Super Eagles with four games left.

As it turned out, an injury-time goal by Tawanda Chirewa earned Zimbabwe a share of the spoils in yet another blow to Nigeria's chances, and Bafana are sitting pretty.

Mokoena, of course, did not start. Neither did his Mamelodi Sundowns teammate and central midfield partner and scorer against Lesotho, Adams, as Broos employed Bathusi Aubaas and Thalente Mbatha to soften Benin in his engine room.

Benin, though the ‘home team’ away from home, were content to sit in a low block and hit on the counter. It took hard graft for Bafana to engineer their half-chances and they did that well.

Foster headed Relebohile Mofokeng’s early corner wide. Benin’s Junior Olaitan got on the end of a speculative cross from deep, his header forcing a stop from Ronwen Williams.

Bafana right-back Khuliso Mudau forced a save from a tight angle from keeper Marcel Dandjinou, then Foster was desperately dispossessed in the box.

The South Africans started the second half on the front foot again, Foster running onto a through-ball and Dandjinou coming out of his box to intercept at the Burnley striker’s feet.

Foster provided Bafana’s sharp end on the evening and it was no surprise he produced the breakthrough.

Fullback Fawaaz Basadien was played into space on the left of the box to square and Foster got a faint touch past Dandjinou to finish off the right post.

From Mudau’s free-kick from the right, substitute Adams showed his class with an expert nodded finish to secure the three points.