In the province of the rising sun, Bafana Bafana rose from the ashes in breathtaking style to secure qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in one of those “I was there” moments that is going to live long in memory.
The names of coach Hugo Broos, goal scorers Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa, the venue Mbombela Stadium and opponents Rwanda are going to be correct answers in a pub sports quiz.
SA came into the final round of qualifiers with their fate out of their own hands, but they did their job with a convincing 3-0 win over Rwanda in front of a bouncing Mbombela crowd.
They also hugely benefited from arch-rivals Nigeria, who beat Benin 4-0 in Uyo in a result that aligned perfectly to allow SA to finish on top of Group C with 18 points from 10 matches.
In that match, their talismanic striker Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick, but it may not be enough to put them among the best four finishers.
Bafana qualified for the global showpiece at this venue, which is the scene of their greatest embarrassment, as it was here where they celebrated a draw with Sierra Leone in 2011, erroneously thinking they had qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Guiding Bafana to the World Cup finals will elevate coach Hugo Broos to a higher pedestal in SA football.
Bafana ticked the significant box as they qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2002 in Korea/Japan.
In reality, it should not have come to this final day of nerves if Bafana were not docked three points by Fifa for fielding ineligible Teboho Mokoena in their qualifier against Lesotho earlier in the year.
The last time Bafana featured in the tournament was in 2010, but they qualified as hosts. Now they make a long-awaited return with Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Ghana, who have already secured their places.
Tough decisions
Broos went into this game with a few tough decisions to make due to injuries to key players, and he picked TS Galaxy defender Khulumani Ndamane to replace suspended Mbekezeli Mbokazi. In the other enforced change, Broos went with Orlando Pirates attacker Evidence Makgopa to replace injured Lyle Foster as the lone striker, and the lanky attacker was a constant irritation for Rwanda.
The other change from the team that drew 0-0 with Zimbabwe last week saw Thapelo Morena of Mamelodi Sundowns replace Mohau Nkota of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq on the right wing.
SA got the game off to a stunning start when Mbatha gave them the lead with a thunderous piledriver that gave Rwanda goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari no chance in the sixth minute as he got on the end of a good move started by Appollis.
Six minutes later, SA could have increased their lead, but Appollis was denied by Ntwari from close range, and Mokoena’s close-range header from the resultant corner kick went over the crossbar.
Bafana increased their lead in 26 minutes when Appollis, who has been a live wire up to this point, controlled the ball nicely inside the box before he unleashed a delightful curling shot to beat Ntwari.
Bafana suffered a huge blow just before half-time when Morena wobbled off with an injury, and was replaced by Nkota, who continued where the Sundowns defender left off by troubling the Rwandan defence.
SA could have wrapped up the match after the hour mark, but Nkota was denied by Ntwari, and Mudau’s shot on the rebound went wide of the upright as they benefited from good work from Mbule, who had a storming game.
Rwanda nearly pulled one back in the closing stages, but a shot by one of their attackers hit the upright with Ronwen Williams beaten. Even if the ball had sailed into the empty net, it was not going to be enough to stop Bafana from securing their spot at the World Cup.
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