Bafana Bafana turned on the style at Cape Town Stadium last night to beat South Sudan 3-0 in their sixth and final African Cup of Nations qualifier.
The result means South Africa qualified for Morocco 2025 at the top of the standings in Group K with 14 points, with Uganda in second, Congo third and South Sudan fourth.
Bafana looked like a team in a celebratory mood in front of a vocal Kaapse crowd, as goals from strikers Iqraam Rayners, Patrick Maswanganyi and midfielder Teboho Mokoena gave them an easy win.
They were gevaarlik from the first whistle to the last and took the lead in the seventh minute when giftige Bishop Lavis-born winger Oswin Appollis set up Mitchells Plain se eie Rayners with a cutback.
South Africa's first match in the Western Cape in nine years ends with a comfortable victory 👏![CDATA[]]>🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#AFCON2025 | #AFCONQ2025 pic.twitter.com/xJH9RkqKvU
Maswanganyi made it 2-0 for Bafana in the 22nd minute when he reacted first to a fumble by the visitors’ keeper after a long-range shot from Mokoena.
They didn’t stop there, as Mokoena made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 50th minute after Khuliso Mudau was brought down in the box.
While it was going well on the field, it was a party in the stands as Mama Joy, Herschelle Gibbs and the hele Kaap egged on the national team.
At the final whistle, Ronwen Wiliams, who was named as one of the five finalists for African Player of the Year on Monday, and his teammates stood tall, as the crowd saluted coach Hugo Broos, who also made the shortlist for Coach of the Year.
