Three things we learned from Bafana’s win over Benin

The Lyle Foster Bafana factor

Bafana Bafana look better with Lyle Foster leading the attack, and his European experience comes in handy for the national team. The Burnley striker is good at playing off the shoulder in order to have the opposition defence pinned in their own half.

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His predatory instincts inside the box proved fruitful for Hugo Broos when he opened the scoring in the 53rd minute against Benin.

In an era where strikers want to drop deep to collect the ball, Foster still hunts inside the 18-yard area. His link-up play has also improved, and Bafana will benefit from him at the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.

Hugo Broos has built a good squad

As much as Teboho Mokoena has been influential in Bafana’s resurgence under Hugo Broos, he was not missed in the game against Benin. The selection pool is large, and there are other capable players who can slot in.

A huge credit to Broos and his technical team for creating a thriving environment. There are no egos involved, and anyone who gets a chance makes a difference.

Another perfect example is Jayden Adams who didn’t sulk after being dropped from the 2-0 win over Lesotho last Friday. He came off the bench to get his second goal in as many matches.

Improvement in defence

The 2-0 success on the road will be a welcomed relief in Bafana’s quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ’96 AFCON champions also kept a clean sheet against Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.

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Keeping it tight at the back is crucial for any top national team. If Bafana produces more clean sheets in the remaining four matches of the qualifiers, it goes without saying that they will be among the 48 teams at the world spectacle.