Johannesburg – Ethiopia missed out on an opportunity to avenge themselves in the second leg of the World Cup qualifiers, where Bafana Bafana regained their winning momentum at the FNB Stadium.
Coach Hugo Broos side came to the game with full swing to claim a 1-0 easy victory, over the embattled Ethiopia who failed to break the wall of Bafana’s defence yet again.
A silly own goal at the first minutes of the encounter from the Walia ibex captain’s Getaneh Kebede, scooped the winning goal for Bafana as they walked away with three points, to retain the first position in Group G.
Bafana dropped to second on the Group G standings following Ghana’s 1-0 win over Zimbabwe, however tables turned drastically during the evening.
Man of the moment, Bafana play maker Bongokuhle Hlongwane bagged man of the match, and speaking about the game, Hlongwane said it was a hard win for Bafana.
“We created lot of chances but we couldn’t find the back of the net, Ethiopia really put us under pressure and it wasn’t easy.
“The most important thing we played against the best team, and we fought for the entire 90 minutes to ensure that we don’t give them a chance,” added Hlongwane.
The over jovial Broos commended the team’s sneak win, however also added that Ethiopia came to step in toes of Bafana to not claim an easy win.
“Today we were bit calm, compared to the Saturday game, and our opponents were strong over us, as our midfielder was not solid,” alluded Broos.
Makgopa should have toppled up the score, in the 30th minute after Hlongwane had blazed down the right-hand side, but his strike went over the bar.
Bafana’s Captain Ronwen Williams was kept busy for the better part of the game, but his best save came in the 40th minute when he parried a snap-shot from just outside his box.
This victory earns Bafana a good chance to qualify for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, however they still have to face Zimbabwe and Ghana next month.
Bafana will play against the Warriors on the 11 November 2021, afterwards, they will face the Black Stars on the 14 November 2021.
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