South Africa produced a ruthless attacking display to dismantle Eritrea 5-0 in Round 2 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Relebohile Mofokeng scoring twice and Oswin Appollis playing a major creative role.
Bafana Bafana were already two goals clear at half-time before Yaya Sithole and Iqraam Rayners put the contest beyond Eritrea. Substitute Luther Singh then completed the rout deep into stoppage time.
For football fans in Kenya and across Africa, the emphatic result was another reminder of South Africa’s attacking quality as the race for AFCON qualification gathers momentum.
Mofokeng Double Puts Bafana Bafana in Control
South Africa’s afternoon began with an early setback when Brooklyn Poggenpoel replaced the injured Bathusi Aubaas in the 12th minute.
That disruption did little to slow Bafana Bafana.
The breakthrough arrived in the 19th minute, when Mofokeng converted from an Appollis assist to give South Africa a deserved 1-0 advantage.
Eritrea attempted to keep the deficit manageable, but South Africa struck again at the perfect moment.
In first-half stoppage time, Mofokeng grabbed his second goal, this time with an assist from Samukelo Kabini, sending Bafana Bafana into the interval with a commanding 2-0 lead.
South Africa Turns Up the Pressure After Half-Time
Any hopes of an Eritrean comeback were quickly extinguished.
Just seven minutes after the restart, Yaya Sithole made it 3-0, giving South Africa complete control.
The fourth followed in the 63rd minute. Appollis registered his second assist of the game by setting up Iqraam Rayners, whose finish transformed an already comfortable advantage into a rout.
South Africa could then afford to rotate their squad. Lebone Seema, Cassius Mailula and Luther Singh were introduced in the 74th minute, while Themba Zwane replaced Sithole five minutes later.
Appollis Creates Again as Singh Completes 5-0 Rout
Bafana Bafana continued searching for another goal despite the match being effectively decided.
Their persistence was rewarded in the 94th minute.
Appollis provided his third assist of the match, allowing substitute Luther Singh to score South Africa’s fifth and put the finishing touch on an emphatic performance.
Eritrea 0-5 South Africa: Goals
- 19′ – Relebohile Mofokeng (assist: Oswin Appollis)
- 45+1′ – Relebohile Mofokeng (assist: Samukelo Kabini)
- 52′ – Yaya Sithole
- 63′ – Iqraam Rayners (assist: Oswin Appollis)
- 90+4′ – Luther Singh (assist: Oswin Appollis)
Mofokeng and Appollis Lead the Show
Mofokeng’s first-half brace gave South Africa the platform they needed, but Appollis was equally influential.
The attacker directly created three of Bafana Bafana’s five goals, assisting Mofokeng’s opener, Rayners’ second-half strike and Singh’s stoppage-time goal.
With Mofokeng supplying the finishing touch and Appollis repeatedly creating opportunities, Eritrea struggled to contain South Africa’s movement in attacking areas.
The fact that five goals came from four different scorers also highlighted the variety available in the Bafana Bafana attack.
What the Result Means for South Africa
A 5-0 AFCON qualifying win gives South Africa a significant result as they continue their push towards the continental finals.
Beyond the scoreline, Bafana Bafana showed they could stay aggressive throughout. They scored twice before half-time, added two more shortly after the restart and still found a fifth in stoppage time.
For Eritrea, the result underlines the scale of the challenge ahead after they couldn’t halt South Africa’s attacking momentum.
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Final Word
Eritrea 0-5 South Africa was a statement performance from Bafana Bafana.
Mofokeng’s brace established control, Sithole and Rayners stretched the advantage, and Singh completed the scoring in stoppage time. Yet Appollis was at the heart of much of South Africa’s best attacking work, finishing the contest with three assists.
With five unanswered goals and contributions throughout the squad, South Africa could hardly have asked for a more convincing outing in their AFCON qualifying campaign.
