Cape Town - Bafana Bafana may still be in confident mood after beating Senegal at the weekend, but after Shakes Mashaba was suspended on Sunday, they received another blow on Monday when Rivaldo Coetzee was ruled out of the friendly against Mozambique.
Ajax Cape Town central defender Coetzee made his comeback to the national team, after a few weeks out with a hamstring tear, in Saturday’s vital 2-1 World Cup qualifier at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The 20-year-old went straight back into the starting line-up at centre back, with captain Thulani Hlatshwayo shifting to right back.
But Safa announced on Monday that Coetzee has picked up an ankle injury and won’t be available for Tuesday’s international against Mozambique in Maputo (7pm kickoff).
Interim head coach Owen da Gama would probably move Hlatshwayo back to the middle, but said on Monday that Bafana “need competition in all positions in the team. Hence we will use Tuesday’s friendly to look at other options”.
So instead of Ramahlwe Mphahlele coming in, Da Gama may want to consider in-form Mamelodi Sundowns star Asavela Mbekile at right back. Mbekile was outstanding for Masandawana in their Caf Champions League triumph, especially in the second leg of the final in Egypt, where Zamalek poured forward to try to reduce the three-goal deficit from the first leg.
New Dutch-born striker Lars Veldwijk should also be given an opportunity to prove his worth as a big target man upfront, while starts for the likes of Daine Klate and Sibusiso Vilakazi may also add some bite to the Bafana attack.
Bafana were fortunate to earn a penalty before halftime when the ball hit Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly on the knee, but the referee ruled a handball and pointed to the spot. Hlatshwayo converted, and a minute later, some smart one-touch passing between Keagan Dolly and Mpho Makola saw Thulani Serero stab home his effort from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.
But South Africa still need to find a striker who can put the ball into the back of the net, and perhaps Veldwijk can be that man.
However, it remains to be seen whether Da Gama will change tactics and employ two strikers instead of the usual one favoured by Mashaba, with Serero and Dolly playing in free roles behind Eleazar Rodgers.
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