South Africa suffered their sixth consecutive defeat as they lost 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland in Limerick on Tuesday night. Despite dominating the game, Bafana Bafana was unable to find the back of the net against a second-string Irish outfit, who scored the only goal of the game through a great Liam Lawrence free kick.
Ireland, lying a point behind world champions Italy in qualifying group eight, will hope the leaders slip up against third-placed Bulgaria on Wednesday before they travel to Dublin for the penultimate fixture next month.
Has Santana lost his Mojo?
I’m not one to throw the coach under the bus as soon as the team does badly, but something must be done to /for Bafana Bafana. Has Brazilian Coach Joel Santana lost his mojo? The man who was tasked with uplifting the South African National football team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup seems to have got our boys in a downward spiral, where they have lost six games in a row and have no confidence in their abilities anymore.
Bafana Bafana Need Self Confidence
We know we have plenty of talent, but all the chopping and changing doesn’t do any one any good. Time is running out for “trying out” new players and combinations. Any soccer fan in South Africa know who our best players are. They need to be put together as a squad and made to feel secure and valued. They need self-confidence. They need to think and feel like winners – then they will play like the winners we know they can be.
Aaron Mokoena – Disappointed at Loss
On Kickoff, Bafana Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena expressed his disappointment at the 1-0 loss to a weakened Republic of Ireland. South Africa had 68 percent of the possession in the match in Limerick, yet home goalkeeper Keiren Westwood was not forced into one meaningful save in the match.
“We had lots of possession, so from that point of view it is disappointing for us not to get anything from the game,” Mokoena says. “It’s a good thing that we controlled the game tonight, even more so given the changes we have made on this trip, we just could not score.”
Photo Bafana Bafana Captain, Aaron Mokeona. Kickoff
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