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22 March 01:01
FULL-TIME: Bafana Bafana 0-0 Andorra
Elias Mokwana marked his international debut with a goal as Bafana Bafana (ranked 58th) rallied from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against the underdog European side Andorra (168th) in their inaugural FIFA Series encounter in Annaba, Algeria, on Thursday.
Head coach Hugo Broos handed debuts to four players: Mokwana, Thapelo Xoki, Mlondi Mbanjwa, and Patrick Maswanganyi in the fixture.
Despite an early chance for Mbanjwa, who failed to capitalize on Mokwana's set-up in the opening minute, it was Andorra who grabbed the lead just five minutes in, capitalising on a blunder by Ricardo Goss, allowing Ricardo Fernandez to tap into an empty net.
Broos and his Bafana troops are back in action on Tuesday, 26 March against host nation Algeria (23:00 SA times).
22 March 00:55
22 March 00:53
84' Throughout the game, South Africa has consistently been the side striving to create opportunities in the attacking third.
However, they seem to be continuously devoid of fresh ideas.
It appears as though they entered the match with the belief that victory would come easily, assuming they could show up and secure a favourable outcome.
22 March 00:53
84' Throughout the game, South Africa has consistently been the side striving to create opportunities in the attacking third.
However, they seem to be continuously devoid of fresh ideas.
It appears as though they entered the match with the belief that victory would come easily, assuming they could show up and secure a favourable outcome.
22 March 00:42
72' CHANCE! Gomes delivers a breathtaking save to thwart Maswanganyi's attempt. The midfielder appeared primed to guide the ball into the net at the far post, yet Gomes exhibited remarkable composure to deflect it away.
22 March 00:20
57' Andorra nearly executed a fine sequence of play on the edge of South Africa's area, but Xoki halts Pujol's progress after a skilful nutmeg. The 41-year-old forward falls to the ground and remains there, though it appears there was minimal contact.
22 March 00:18
51' Andorra are not letting up and remain persistent. They've earned a free kick from about 30 yards out and lofted it towards the back post, but the referee detects an infringement and stops the play.
22 March 00:06
46' CHANCE! Mokwana causes problems early on as he gets a cross into the danger area with Masangwanyi leaning towards the ball and pounces on a half-volley but goalkeeper Antoni makes a stunning save.
21 March 23:57
HALF-TIME: Bafana Bafana 1-1 Andorra
The South Africans had started the match with a goalkeeping blip from Ricardo Goss to give Andorra their first goal since the start of 2023 from Fernandez Ricardo and give them a shock lead over Bafana Bafana.
However, Hugo Broos's troops pulled back level, courtesy of Elias Mokwana, as his close-range strike hit an Andorra defender and deflected into the back of the net.
It has been rather disjointed, with plenty of misplaced passes and poor decision-making from Broos's players.
21 March 23:49
40' At last, Bafana Bafana gets a promising opportunity as Mbanjwa swiftly moves into the box and takes a shot at the near post, but Gomes pulls off an excellent point-blank save.
21 March 23:40
36' Then again, on the contrary, Bafana have also not looked their very best and seem to struggle in midfield and in the final third of the pitch.
There are many inexperienced players on the field, but South Africa shouldn't be finding it so difficult to create chances against Andorra.
21 March 23:35
32' Andorra has not threatened much, if not at all, as Bafana maintain the majority of the ball possession.
21 March 23:27
Lady luck comes to Bafana's corner and in particular for Mokwana, who has been South Africa's brightest spark on the ball as his shot at goal is deflected and levels the scoring.
21 March 23:20
17' This fixture, especially after that dubious opening goal, has certainly given this game an extra edge that does not feel like a friendly encounter all of a sudden. Tackles from either side are coming through thick and fast as Andorra are implementing a press, while Bafana has put in a few decent passes but does look disjointed.
21 March 23:14
11' CHANCE! Elias Mokwana runs onto from the left flank and has time and space but opts to shoot instead of laying it off to an oncoming Maswanganyi. His effort on goal is well-wide.
21 March 23:09
The Bafana defence falls asleep as Sibisi gives a simple back pass to Goss, but the goalkeeper looks quite relaxed in his attempt to stop the ball as it goes under his boot. Fernandez then runs onto the ball and easily slots it home into an empty net.
21 March 22:53
Andorra, currently ranked 164th, have faced a challenging streak, with 13 consecutive defeats.
In contrast, Bafana (ranked 58th) are enjoying a six-match undefeated streak, with their only setback being a loss on penalties to Nigeria after a deadlock in regular play during the Afcon semi-final last month.
21 March 22:09
Bafana Bafana XI
Sibisi and Morena are the only surviving starters from their Bafana's last match against DR Congo in Afcon's third-place playoff in February.
A strong Orlando Pirates contingent with a centre-back pairing of Xoki and Sibisi, while Monare and Maswanganyi are thrust in the midfield, with the latter playing more advanced.
Cape Town City's Mayo is leading the attack, flanked by Mokwana and Mbanjwa.
A different but exciting lineup from Broos.
21 March 21:31
Broos initially went on to make 10 changes, including the omission of star forward Percy Tau, to the 23-man squad that did Afcon for the FIFA Series pilot project in Algeria.
However, an injury to Sphephelo Sithole, while Siyabonga Ngezana misplaced or lost his travelling documents, saw both players failing to honour their call-ups.
Cape Town City forward Khanyiso Mayo, who was not in the preliminary squad, makes the jump straight into Broos's 23-man squad.
Elsewhere, there is a return to the squad for Bruce Bvuma, Goodman Mosele, Grant Margeman and Iqraam Rayners.
During Afcon, the squad's nucleus primarily consisted of players from Mamelodi Sundowns.
A notable 10 players were chosen from Masandawana for the tournament, with merely seven of them making a return for the upcoming camp in March.
FIFA Series: 23-man Bafana Bafana squad
Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs), Ricardo Goss (SuperSport United)
Defenders: Sydney Mobbie (Sekhukhune United), Grant Kekana, Terrence Mashego, Aubrey Modiba, Thapelo Morena (all Mamelodi Sundowns), Nkhosinathi Sibisi, Thapelo Xoki (all Orlando Pirates), Siyanda Xulu (SuperSport United).
Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thabang Monare (Orlando Pirates), Goodman Mosele (Chippa United), Grant Margeman (SuperSport United)
Forwards: Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns) Oswin Appollis (Polokwane City), Elias Mokwena (all Polokwane City) Mihlali Mayambela (Aris Limassol, Cyprus), Mlondi Mbanjwa (AmaZulu), Patrick Maswanganyi (Orlando Pirates), Iqraam Rayners (Stellenbosch FC), Khanyiso Mayo (Cape Town City).
21 March 21:26
By providing member associations with regular opportunities to compete against teams from other continents, FIFA aims to unlock new technical development prospects which were previously out of reach for many.
21 March 21:25
The FIFA Series pilot phase in March 2024 will involve the following teams:
FIFA Series: Algeria (CAF, hosts), Andorra (UEFA), Bolivia (CONMEBOL), South Africa (CAF)
FIFA Series: Azerbaijan (UEFA, hosts), Bulgaria (UEFA), Mongolia (AFC), Tanzania (CAF)
FIFA Series Saudi Arabia A (hosts): Cabo Verde (CAF), Cambodia (AFC), Equatorial Guinea (CAF), Guyana (Concacaf)
FIFA Series Saudi Arabia B: Bermuda (Concacaf), Brunei Darussalam (AFC), Guinea (CAF), Vanuatu (OFC)
FIFA Series: Sri Lanka (hosts), Bhutan (AFC), Central African Republic (CAF), Papua New Guinea (OFC)
21 March 21:25
This initiative has been rolled out in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka over the international break in March.
21 March 21:24
The FIFA Series aims to bolster international football by facilitating international friendly matches featuring four national teams from diverse confederations, all hosted in a single country.
