Bafana rocks!

We are hugely impressed by tonight’s performance and applaud both the team and management of team. They clearly took the thoughts and concerns of their supporters after the opening game to heart and answered all that we asked of them.

IHeartBafana Regardless of the level of the opposition, the team produced the sort of play that we expect of them. A repeat of this level of spirited play in the final group game on Saturday (against the formidable Spaniards) and we will be more than satisfied. Even if the results of that game and the Iraq vs. New Zealand conspire to end Bafana’s Confed Cup experience.

For us, there is no shame in losing if the effort put in is of the quality we saw this evening.

In terms of match summary, there were so many highlights, moments of excellence and brilliant passages of play that I simply couldn’t keep up. Added to the fact that within the first 15 minutes of kick-off, I was so focussed on the game that I forgot to keep any notes! Suffice to say that I have no intention of applying for a position as a live sportscast blogger…

Standout performances came from both Masimela out on the wing, and Stephen Pienaar in the mid-field – both had a huge game with sparkling performances from start to final whistle. Naturally, Bernard Parkers’ brace of goals deservedly put him up for the Man-of-the-Match award. And comfortably made up for the goal blockage blunder in the opener against Iraq.

Ideally, we would been even happier with another 2 in the back of the Kiwi net. If the All Whites put up a poor showing again against Iraq in their final match, goal difference might well make all the uh…, difference.

Probably the only issue of concern we have was Masego’s repeated failure to avoid the off-side trap, and his finishing ability with at least 3 efforts that should have easily been converted into goals.

Nevertheless, we are hugely satisfied by the performance tonight. If you need/want a more comprehensive match report we recommend the notes made by Ashraf on his excellent SA Football Fans site here: South Africa 2-0 New Zealand

Can hardly wait for a similarly positive performance from our other two national teams in the next few days. The Proteas play their World T20 semi-final against Pakistan tomorrow evening, and the Springboks take on the British & Irish Lions on Saturday. Viva Team SA, Viva!!

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