Mosimane Hails Youth Fleet After Egypt Friendly Win

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says there was no better chance to test his fringe players and see if they could “swim with the big sharks,” as they came out with flying colors against Egypt.

Mosimane made nine changes to his starting lineup, but Bafana Bafana produced a clinical defensive display to beat Egypt 1–0 in an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday.

Bafana created only one major chance, but they made it count in the second half when Puso Dithejane capitalized on a defensive blunder. Al Ahly goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir came off his line to clear the ball but miskicked it, handing Dithejane an easy finish to score his first goal for Bafana Bafana.

The result came despite Mosimane resting key players such as captain Ronwen Williams, Oswin Appollis, Relebohile Mofokeng, Kamogelo Sebelebele, and Thapelo Maseko—ultimately utilizing all 30 players called up to the camp across the three matches.

It was a third consecutive win for Mosimane, who kicked off his campaign with victories against Guinea and Eritrea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

“It was a little bit difficult in the first five minutes. We could not find our feet, which is normal,” Mosimane said after the game.

“Because we brought in the younger ones, we changed the whole team. It takes a little time to gel. But as the game progressed, we gained confidence.

“What I liked is that we were not afraid to play. We needed to give them a chance, throw them in the deep end, and let them swim with the sharks—and they swam.

“So, it is good to see Shandre Campbell, Puso Dithejane, and all the young ones step up.

“Lebone Seema played a big game, we brought back Khulumane Ndamane, and Thabang Matuludi has been there before. It was also good to bring back Fawaaz Basadien, who was with the national team in the past.”

South Africa’s victory at Cairo International Stadium marks a rare away win on Egyptian soil, mirroring Bafana’s historic AFCON 2019 round-of-16 elimination of the Pharaohs at the same venue.

The former Al Ahly coach continued: “We were a little bit thin in midfield; I had to play Olwethu Makhanya there near the end. But that’s part of football—you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

“We were under a lot of pressure from crosses, but I know Egyptian football. We prepared extensively because we knew the ball would consistently come from the fullbacks—specifically Mohamed Hany on the right, who was my player at Al Ahly.

“Omar Marmoush was a bit of a problem. You can see why he plays in the Premier League—he is fast and explosive. But Lebone is quick too.

“What was encouraging is that we didn’t change too much at center-back. I didn’t want Lebone playing alongside Ndamane in a big game right from the start without an experienced partner.

“So, I kept Ime Okon in for a bit. But I promised Ndamane he would come on in the second half, and he did.

“We had to rest Appollis and Rele—we didn’t need them for this match, so we wanted to see what our depth looked like at this level.

“There was no better game than this to give them a test. We had to throw them in—let them swim or drown—and they proved themselves.

“Everyone played. Ricardo Goss played and made a crucial save in the final 15 minutes. And we can’t forget Sipho Chaine, who captained the team on the day. As I said before, we will rotate captains. He did well.

“It was good to have Shandre back, and Puso was quick—everything went well.”

Bafana Bafana will return to action in November when they face Kenya home and away in the AFCON qualifiers.