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Bafana Bafana’s Themba Zwane during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe at Moses Mabhida Stadium on November 13, 2020 in Durban, South Africa.
Themba Zwane Y Percy tau They both grabbed a brace while Molefi Ntseki Bafana Bafana I left it late in a 4-2 beat the minnows Sao Tome and Principe on Monday on a roller coaster 2021 AFCON qualifier at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Santo Tomé, number 182 in the FIFA world rankings, took a surprising lead in the 12th minute when captain Joazhifel Pontes poked his head at the end of a corner kick to give his team an early lead.
Ntseki’s charges dominated most of the first half in terms of possession, but they simply lacked the necessary end product in his final pass to punish his opponents.
Bafana Bafana managed to grab a crucial draw shortly before halftime in the 39th minute when Dean Furman played an impressive backhand to Zwane, who coldly conceded the ball.
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder’s draw proved vital as the two teams entered the halftime break on equal terms.
Tau had a glorious opportunity to give Bafana the lead in the 51st minute when he was played on goal, but deflected his shot as he tried to double his effort at the far post.
Bafana continued to bring the game to his opponents with the midfield duo of Furman and Zungu dictating the pace of the process.
In the 70th minute, that pressure was felt when Tau gave Bafana a well-deserved lead with a graceful finish after an interaction with striker Zwane.
This time around, Zwane proved to be the provider for his former Sundowns teammate, as he made a fool of shooting before leaving it to Tau, who sat down some defenders before launching a shot at the net.
São Tomé then tied in the 75th minute against the game’s run after Harramiz Soares found himself unmarked at the back post before producing a powerful header that edged out a hapless Ronwen Williams.
At this point, South Africa had enjoyed 65% ball possession compared to their opponent’s 35% with 12 shots on target, with three on target against São Tomé’s 9 attempts with the same number on target.
But Zwane scored a crucial second goal three minutes from time in the 87th minute to avoid Bafana’s blushes as he reached the end of a deflection from substitute Kermit Erasmus’ goal attempt.
Tau then joined the act by completing a double of his own in the 88th minute when he proved too good for the opposing defense before cutting down the right to hit the ball and overtake goalkeeper Adaim Gamboa.
Here’s how things ended with Bafana Bafana needing late-night heroics from their attacking duo to secure maximum points in their back-to-back matches against the Islanders.
