Mkhalele proud of Bafana despite Cosafa Cup exit

Stand-in coach Helman Mkhalele’s is proud of his youthful Bafana Bafana despite their failure to reach the knockout stage of the Cosafa Cup.

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Following draws against Mozambique and Botswana, Mkhalele’s side finally registered their first win of the tournament when they edged Eswatini 1-0, but the win was not enough to earn them a spot in the knockout round. The winning goal was scored by Thabang Sibanyoni in the third minute of the match.

Bafana missed out on a spot in the knockout round after finishing second with five points behind leaders Mozambique in Group A.

The tournament rules state that the three group winners and the best-placed second team advance to the semifinals.

Mkhalele says the main objective of participating in the regional event is to develop a larger pool of players and further Safa’s long-term vision.

“I am proud of the effort, the character and the humility of these boys. I’m really proud of them,” Mkhalele told Safa media after the match against Eswatini on Tuesday.

The Bafana Bafana assistant coach said his youthful side learnt some important lessons in the matches they played against Mozambique, Botswana and Eswatini.

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“I would say as the technical staff, I am quite happy with some of the boys that I have seen here, that I believe raised their hands in the three games in terms of getting closer to the senior Bafana Bafana team that plays in the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (under head coach Hugo Broos).

“They raised their hands, and I am quite happy because this tournament will go a long way in us knowing that there are players we identified here who can step in.”