Bafana Bafana were held to a 1-1 stalemate draw in their Cosafa Cup Group A opener at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Wednesday evening, and midfielder Thabo Cele was the star of the match.
Cele, who plies his trade in the Polish top flight for Ekstraklasa club Radomiak Radom, was awarded the man of the match accolade for his solid performance in the middle of the park.
The former Kaizer Chiefs target honoured the national team call up to play in the regional tournament, as he forms part of a young and inexperienced Bafana Bafana squad.
The 26-year-old midfield maestro is yet to prove his worth and convince coach Hugo Broos to include him in the Bafana first team set-up ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in 2024.
The visitors broke the deadlock when Chippa United striker Elmo Kambindu put his side on the lead at the stroke of half-time when he found himself unmarked inside the box and headed the ball in the 43rd minute.
Coach Morena Ramoreboli’s charges came back from the break and made an instant response in the 48th minute when relegated Maritzburg United’s exciting prospect Rowan Human came off the bench to level matters through the penalty spot.
Both teams could not find the all-important winning goal and had to share the spoils, which meant that Namibia and South Africa sit on number two and three respectively, with Botswana leading the group following their narrow 1-0 victory over Eswatini in their first match.
Bafana Bafana will now shift their focus to their next encounter against Botswana on Saturday.
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