“We are going to throw the game to them and see how they respond.” Those were the words of Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba ahead of Tuesday night’s 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Cameroon in Durban.
RESULT: @BafanaBafana0 Cameroon 0 in Durban, #SA are out of qualification for #AFCON2017 @TheCapeArgus @CapeTimesSA @IOLsport #RSAvCAM
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But South Africa hardly threw a punch, let alone waiting for a response from the Indomitable Lions at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium, with Bafana’s old Achilles’ heel of scoring goals reared its ugly head once again as they laboured to a 0-0 draw.
All of Mashaba’s fighting talk about securing 11 points in their remaining three Group M games fell apart on Tuesday as his lacklustre outfit lacked the urgency and desperation to push forward for the decisive goal.
Whereas Bafana played with much more creativity in the past Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Cameroon in Limbe, they operated at a pedestrian pace on Tuesday.
79' WHOA! Sifiso Hlanti fires a free kick on target, Cameroon keeper Ondoa makes a good save low to his left #RSAvCAM #AFCONQualifiers
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Even though Mashaba brought in Ajax Amsterdam attacking midfielder Thulani Serero in place of the injured Mpho Makola, it didn’t make much of a difference as he retained the out-of-touch Orlando Pirates striker Thamsanqa Gabuza in the starting XI ahead of the leading South African front-man in the Premiership, Ajax Cape Town’s Prince Nxumalo.
Gabuza had a night to forget as his first touch let him down, while he hardly posed any danger to the Cameroon defence.
The build-up play from Serero, Hlompho Kekana and Andile Jali was adequate, but the old South African “disease” of failing to shoot at goal scuppered Bafana. As usual, they tried to walk the ball into the net, passing to each other with precision outside the box, but no one pulling the trigger or showing that true finisher’s instinct that someone like Benni McCarthy possessed in the past.
That is where Nxumalo (11 goals for Ajax Cape Town) and even Platinum Stars striker Ndumiso Mabena (seven) could’ve made a difference, but they were both on the bench for a second match running.
Target man Tokelo Rantie, who scored a well-taken goal in Saturday’s match in Limbe, lacked the same spark on Tuesday, with the arduous travel schedule perhaps playing a role in his and South Africa’s performance on the night, which made picking a fresh team even more important.
New left back Sifiso Hlanti tried hard to provide some width down the flank in trying to support Serero, but his crosses seldom found anyone in the box.
Hlanti does have an educated left foot, though, and he fired in a number of free kicks, with one particular swerving shot in the 58th minute that forced Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph Ondoa to push it over the bar.
South Africa’s best chance in the opening half also came courtesy of Man-of-the-Match Hlanti, who was on his international debut, as he found Thulani Hlatshwayo inside the Cameroon box, but the Wits captain’s header was tipped over the bar by Ondoa.
Sundowns stalwart Kekana pushed forward more regularly in the last half-an-hour and fired in a few sizzling long-range pile-drivers, but while he had Ondoa diving away, he couldn’t produce something similar to the incredible 60-yard wonder goal he scored in Limbe.
Mabena replaced Rantie – who was taken off on a stretcher – in the 51st minute, but he didn’t make much of a difference, while Nxumalo belatedly made his international debut with 14 minutes left in place of the hapless Gabuza.
The Ajax Cape Town star had a slight opening in the first minute of stoppage time, but his shot was blocked by a Cameroonian defender, while there was also an appeal for a penalty by South Africa, but Burkina Faso referee Juste Ephrem Zio considered it before allowing play to continue.
So, in the end, Bafana couldn’t qualify out of a group that contained lowly Mauritania and Gambia alongside powerhouses Cameroon.
Now it remains to be seen whether Mashaba continues as the coach for the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, with the draw set to take place on June 24 in Cairo.
Teams at Moses Mabhida Stadium
South Africa: 16 Itumeleng Khune (captain, GK), 14 Thulani Hlatshwayo (Siyabonga Nhlapo 45’), 18 Sifiso Hlanti, 2 Rivaldo Coetzee, 3 Erick Mathoho, 15 Andile Jali, 7 Mandla Masango, 13 Hlompho Kekana, 9 Thamsanqa Gabuza (Prince Nxumalo 76’), 10 Thulani Serero, 17 Tokelo Rantie (Ndumiso Mabena 51’).
Cameroon: 1 Joseph Ondoa (GK), 2 Allan Nyom, 4 Marvin Matip, 5 Adolphe Teikeu, 7 Anatole Abang, 10 Vincent Aboubakar (captain), 11 Edgard Sali, 12 Henri Bedimo, 14 Aurelien Chedjou, 15 Daniel Ndi, 18 Sebastien Siani.
ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za
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