Bafana Bafana play to a 1-1 draw with Namibia

South Africa………(1) 1
Namibia…………….(0) 1

8 October 2020 – Bafana Bafana played to a 1-1 draw with Namibia in a friendly international match played at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Thursday, 8 October 2020.

Luther Singh gave the hosts a well-deserved lead in the 19th minute but the hosts were pegged back in the second half as Absalom Imbondi equalised with a low shot that gave stand-in captain Ronwen Williams no chance.

It was a match of two periods of play with the home team dominating possession in the first 45 minutes. The visitors however, turned on the heat in the second half and were full value of their equaliser.

Towards the end, both teams created half chances as the match ended in a 1-all stalemate.

The match started at a tentative pace as both teams tried to size each other but it was the home team which quickly grabbed the initiative forcing a number of corner kicks. It did not take long for Bafana Bafana to make their territorial advantage count as a quick one-two passes between Kermit Erasmus and Luther Singh saw the later plant the ball into the back of the net.

After the goal, South Africa pressed forward and could have scored a few more goals but in most cases, hurried their decisions.

Debutant Thibang Phete looked solid and assured at the back while scorer Singh’s combination with Erasmus was always a joy to watch.

The second half followed the same pattern but it was Namibia who took the initiative and equalised in the 55th minute through Absalom Imbondi whose low and hard shot beat Ronwen Williams hands down. It then became a ding dong affair with both sides looking to score the winning goal that proved elusive for both sides.

It was Namibia however, that came close late in the game but substitute goalkeeper Ricardo Goss made a smart save.

Bafana Bafana play Zambia at the same venue on Sunday as the senior men’s national team continue to prepare for the AFCON back-to-back matches against Sao Tome in November.