Bafana's winning streak continues

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Pretoria- Bafana Bafana continued their winning streak by beating 36 ranked Denmark 1-nil at the Lucas "Masterpieces" Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday.

The goal was courtesy of Mamelodi Sundowns striker, Katlego "Killer" Mphela, who has been in fine form since Bafana began their FIFA World Cup preparations. It was Mphela's 14th goal for the national team.

Today's victory extended Bafana's winning record to 12 unbeaten matches. It was visible from the beginning of the match that the home team was full of confidence and hungry for a victory.

Duo Siphiwe Tshabalala and Kagisho Dikgacoi sent a fantastic cross to unmarked Teko Modise in the box in the 28th minute which showed that the Danish defence had run out of steam, however, the Orlando Pirates playmaker headed the ball wide.

Bafana looked good in the first half and kept ball possession and when they controlled the ball in the middle of the park, they continued to dominate, while the visitors lagged behind.

In the second half, the Danish players tried to take control but lost focus.

Reneilwe Letsholonyane had a chance with the ball after brilliant moves by teammates Tshabalala and Modise and unleashed a grass cutter 28 metres from the box, but Anderson was well-positioned to palm the ball away.

In the 76th minute the Danish keeper brilliantly saved a close range shot from Mphela.

In the dying minutes of the game, Bafana's number one goal keeper, Itumeleng Khune denied the Danish team an equalizer. He saved a close range shot, which drew loud applause from the hundreds of fans that were present at the stadium.

A delighted Carlos Alberto Parreira who has pledged to make South Africans proud during the World Cup said a win against another World Cup qualifying team shows that his boys are ready for the tournament.

"To me this is a special win because we've just defeated an experienced side with full of quality players. We played with confidence and personality. The path that we took to prepare the team for the tournament proved to be the right one today.

"This is a job well-done for the players and I am happy about their performance and the good results. We are ready to fight for our position at the World Cup. Everybody has to respect us," he said.

The team's skipper, Aaron Mokoena, said it was a tough match for Bafana, but their victory boosted their morale.