Bafana Bafana defender Rushwin Dortley acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in their opening Cosafa Cup match and stressed the need for improvement against Botswana on Saturday.

Dortley, who scored his first international goal in the 1-1 draw with Mozambique, believes the game plan was executed well, but finishing let them down.

“We planned to play most of the game going forward, forward passes playing at a high intensity and we reached that, it’s just we couldn’t convert our chances,” reiterated Dortley.  

The 22-year-old Cape Town Spurs defender pinpointed finishing as the key issue: “I think for us the only problem was the finishing, the final move, and the final details in the final third.” 

Bafana Bafana will face their neighbors Botswana in their second group stage match. Despite Botswana’s recent struggles against South Africa (losing four of their last five meetings), Dortley recognizes them as a serious threat in this tournament, where they have a good chance of winning silverware.

Dortley is confident his team can overcome Botswana if they can convert their chances. “Converting our chances is what we need because we were creating opportunities for the full 90 minutes, so I think if we can convert our chances, we can be successful,” assures Dortley. 

With all teams in Group A drawing their opening matches, Bafana Bafana lead the group on goal difference. A victory against Botswana would be a significant step towards their sixth Cosafa Cup title, as they face their rivals for the second time on the trot in the group stages.