It rained goals at a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium innie Baai on Friday, as Bafana Bafana klapped a handful to overpower Congo 5-0.
It was a five-star performance by coach Hugo Broos’s men in the African Cup of Nations group K Qualifier, which took them to seven points from three matches – level on points with Uganda and with a better goal difference, but second because the latter scored two away goals against Bafana.
Away goals are counted as the first tie-breaker in this tournament.
Anyway, Bafana Bafana will be happy today and one man in particular, midfielder Teboho Mokoena, will be standing tallest.
It was he who got the ball rolling for a dominant South Africa in Gqeberha, with his second goal from the edge of the area in the 27th minute being the goal of the clash.
Mokoena scored his first in the 12th minute when he headed home winger Oswin Appollis’ corner delivery.
Then in the 27th minute, he got the ball on the edge of the goal area on the left side from Appollis again and then, after one touch while turning, expertly thumped the ball into the top right corner of Congo’s goal.
When Bathusi Aubaas scored from another Appollis corner delivery (the winger’s third assist in the match) to make it 3-0 in the 37th minute, Congo knew today wasn’t their day and that things could turn ugly.
And it did, with striker Lyle Foster adding his name to the scoresheet in the 52nd minute when he cashed in from an attack that started from deep, with Elias Mokwana teeing him up with a creative touch for the Burnley man to tap home (4-0).
Replacement striker Iqraam Rayners then put the cherry oppie koek when he benefited from a sloppy clearance kick by Congo goalkeeper Cristoffer Mafoumbih to steer the ball into an empty net.
Bafana can’t afford to rest on their laurels and will go a long way in booking their flight to Morocco for Afcon next year if they can beat Congo in the return leg in Brazzaville on Tuesday.