Mosimane’s Bafana Era Kicks Off With Hard-Fought Win Over Guinea

Pitso Mosimane’s second reign as Bafana Bafana coach got off to a nervy start, but his side overcame a determined Guinea to secure a 2-1 victory in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

Bafana started positively and came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute when Guinea made a mistake at the back. Relebohile Mofokeng capitalised on the error, but his right-footed effort went wide.

Mosimane’s side continued to control proceedings and eventually found the breakthrough in the 30th minute. Ime Okon put Bafana ahead with a left-footed effort from inside the box following a corner, scoring his first official goal for the national team.

Guinea responded by searching for an equaliser before the break and created their first major opportunity on the stroke of half-time. Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy stepped up to take a free-kick, but his effort sailed over the crossbar as Bafana went into the interval with a 1-0 lead.

Bafana returned for the second half with the same intensity they had shown before the break and created the first major chance after the restart in the 60th minute.

Oswin Appollis found himself with an opportunity inside the box, but his header towards the left side was saved by the Guinea goalkeeper.

Eight minutes later, however, Guinea found the equaliser. Seydouba Cisse got on the scoresheet in the 68th minute to bring the visitors level and put Bafana under pressure.

The equaliser did not last long, though, as Bafana responded with the winning goal in the 76th minute. Samukelo Kabini restored South Africa’s advantage with a left-footed shot from inside the box that found the centre of the goal.

Both teams continued to produce an entertaining contest in the closing stages, with Guinea pushing for another equaliser while Bafana looked to protect their advantage.

Neither side found another goal, however, as the match ended 2-1 in favour of Bafana Bafana.

The victory means Mosimane began his second stint in charge of the national team with a win, giving Bafana three important points in their opening 2027 AFCON qualifier.

Mosimane replaced Belgian coach Hugo Broos, who enjoyed a successful stint with Bafana Bafana after taking charge in 2021. During his tenure, Broos helped the national team qualify for two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Bafana made history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time.

Bafana will now look to continue their winning start when they travel to Egypt to face Eritrea in their next AFCON qualifier on Wednesday. The match will be their final game of this FIFA international break in the qualifying campaign.

After facing Eritrea, Bafana are scheduled to return to Egypt on October 4 to face the hosts in an international friendly.