Substitute Jayden Adams and Lyle Foster’ second half goals stirred Bafana Bafana to a 2-goals victory over Benin at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.
Just like last Friday against Lesotho, Bafana squandered a number of scoring opportunities in the first half of this 2026 African FIFA World Cup qualifier, and had to wait until the second half to show what they are made of.
This victory, their fourth in six matches, has cemented their top position on Group C log with 10 points. And with an added plus five goals advantage.
Hugo Broos’ brave move
Hugo Broos’ brave move to introduce Oswin Appollis and Adams for Relebohile Mofokeng and Percy Tau seemed to have worked wonders for the Belgian coach, as the two did not disappoint.
Adams paid Broos’ trust by scoring the second goal in the 84th minute. This after he connected a well cross from Appollis with a fine header. And it was after Foster had slotted home beautifully a good pass from Faawaz Basadien. It gave Bafana an early lead in the 54th minute, beating Benin goalkeeper between his legs with a grounder.
The goal was Adams’ second in this qualifying match. And he is in the same tally with teammate Thapelo Morena, who has also rattled the net two times.
Group C matches
In other Group C matches, Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe. This while Rwanda and Lesotho also shared a spoilt after 1 – 1 draw.
Group C’s next qualifying matches will be in September, which will see Bafana Bafana taking on Lesotho away. Benin will welcome Zimbabwe, while Nigeria will be at home against Rwanda.
The winner in each group will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in North American countries. The main host country of matches will be the US, while Canada and Mexico will be the ancillary hosts.
