Battling Bafana hold Elephants

Bafana Bafana showed the fight and passion that Hugo Broos had demanded on Tuesday as they held Afcon hosts Ivory Coast to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Broos had called on Bafana to summon the spirit of the Springboks, World Cup quarterfinal winners over France in Paris on Sunday. And while Bafana could not beat their hosts, they can take heart from a performance that was light years better than the dismal showing in the goalless draw with Eswatini on Friday.

South Africa can now go into next month’s Fifa World Cup qualifiers in better spirits, while they also got a taste of what the atmosphere will be like in the Ivory Coast at the Afcon finals early next year.

Broos rang the changes for this game, as one might expect given the lambasting he gave his side after Friday’s debacle at FNB Stadium.

Captain Ronwen Williams was always going to start against the Elephants having recovered from injury, but the changes in attack seemed more pointed, with Lyle Foster dropped to the bench, while Lebo Mothiba led the line, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane also came in to replace Khanyisa Mayo.

Themba Zwane kept his place in a role just behind the front three, and it took just eight minutes for the Sundowns maestro to give Bafana the lead.

Teboho Mokoena won the ball high up the pitch and exchanged passes with Zwane, before crossing again for his Masandawana teammate. Zwane had missed a glorious chance to give Bafana an early lead on Friday, but this time he made no mistake, firing high into the net.

The home crowd were stunned into silence and Hlongwane had a chance to extend Bafana’s lead just three minutes later, his shot from the edge of the box saved by Ivorian goalkeeper Yahya Fofana.

It took a while for the Elephants to recover their composure, they did begin to apply some serious pressure on Bafana.

Mostly, Bafana’s defence stayed firm, with Sundowns’ Khuluso Mudau, given a chance by Broos at right back, excelling with several important challenges.

In the 28^th minute a cross from Ghislain Konan found Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastian Haller with a free header, but he powered his effort just over.

Three minutes later, Bafana almost shot themselves in the foot as Mothobi Mvala gave the ball away to Haller inside his own penalty area. The Ivory Coast striker lobbed Williams but his effort came back off the post.

Bafana still had their chances on the break in a very open game, and Zwane saw another effort well saved by Yahya Fofana.

The end-to-end action continued after the break and Seko Fofana’s effort was superbly saved by Williams.

Mudau then started and got on the end of a wonderful flowing move from Bafana, but he pulled a glorious chance just wide, with Mothiba inches away from sliding it in.

In the 56^th minute, Mokoena sent Mothiba racing clear and his shot was tipped wide by Yahya Fofana.

Haller finds the net

And ten minutes later Bafana paid for their misses as the Elephants equalised. Seko Fofana provided another cross, and Haller was again unmarked. This time he made no mistake, sending a bullet header into the net.

Williams had to produce a brilliant save to deny substitute Hamed Traore minutes later, as the Elephants began to take charge in Abidjan.

Another substitute, Max Gradel, also put a free header over the bar, and the Elephants laid siege to the Bafana goal in the closing stages, but Bafana held on for an encouraging result.