Bafana Bafana went pound for pound against the 33rd-ranked Panama side at the Moses Mabhida Stadium when they held them to a 1-1 draw on Friday night.
Orlando Pirates star Oswin Appollis equalised for Bafana in the second half to cancel out Édgar Bárcenas’ 22nd-minute goal. Bafana and Panama will now switch their focus to the second and final friendly match in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Based on Bafana’s display against the Central Americans, especially in the second half, coach Hugo Broos will be pleased with how his side reacted and held their nerve against a quality side.
Bafana controlled most parts of the game and played convincing football, which will leave the Panama coach, Thomas Christiansen, with a lot more planning heading into the next game in the Mother City.
The home side created enough chances to win the game, but their lack of discipline and questionable decision-making in front of goals meant that they could only settle for a stalemate draw.
Also, Broos will be worried about how his side conceded, as it was one of those schoolboy defensive errors that resulted in them being punished. And that is what will likely happen at the World Cup level, as quality sides usually take their chances and punish silly mistakes.
But, as Broos mentioned heading into the game, the result does not really matter but rather the performance, as he wants his side to measure itself against a Central American team, given that they will face Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.
So, the performance of Bafana was good enough, but it can get better, and it should, with a better attitude and fighting spirit.
Also, it must be mentioned that Ime Oko and Khulumani Ndamane paired up well at centre -back, which is good as far as competition is concerned, with the likes of Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and several other defenders eyeing those positions as a ticket to the World Cup.
Tuesday will be a different ball game altogether, as the two teams and coaches will have seen what to expect from each other.
