Bafana Bafana earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Guinea in their opening AFCON qualifier on Saturday afternoon.
Also see: Pitso Mosimane wants Bafana Bafana to build Springboks-style squad depth
Pitso Mosimane’s long-awaited return to the Bafana Bafana dugout got off to an incredible start on Saturday afternoon, with South Africa digging deep to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Guinea at the Orlando Stadium.
Bafana Bafana dominate Guinea
Bafana started on the front foot, making their home advantage count right from the opening whistle at Orlando Stadium.
Mosimane’s men controlled the tempo early on, and the pressure finally told in the 30th minute when Ime Okon popped up at the back post to clinically break the deadlock.
A look back at the goal that broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. Ime Okon gives Bafana Bafana the lead.
Footage courtesy of @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/XtzvM6uH1w
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 26, 2026
Also see: 3 Guinea players who could trouble Bafana Bafana
Aubrey Modiba and Teboho Mokoena both came close to adding to the lead; however, Soumaila Sylla stood firm to keep the scoreline at 1-0 heading into the half-time break.
The visitors, however, came out with a completely different energy after the interval, seizing control of the match.
That momentum paid off in the 69th minute when Al Kholood star Seydouba Cisse reacted quickest to a rebounded free-kick, rifling a shot past Ronwen Williams to level matters at 1–1.
Samukelo Kabini then repaid Pitso Mosimane for his faith in him by restoring Bafana Bafana’s lead exactly 20 minutes after he was subbed on.
A look back at when Samukele Kabini put Bafana Bafana back in the lead!
Let’s gooo! 🇿🇦🔥footage courtesy of @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/IfTUZFv7XR
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 26, 2026
The full-back finished off a lovely team move down the left, expertly finishing beyond Sylla after being played in by Yanela Mbuthuma in the 77th minute.
That’s how it ended at the Orlando Stadium with South Africa walking away with an important three points. Mosimane’s side will have little time to recover though, with another crucial qualifier looming against Eritrea over the weekend.
Saturday’s other result made group D all the more interesting. Underdogs Eritrea were mere minutes away from a historic away win before Kenya struck right at the death to salvage a dramatic 1–1 draw in Nairobi!
With the 184th-ranked nation up next over the weekend, Bafana know there’s zero room to switch off if they want to stamp their authority on Group D.
Originally published by Soccermag.
Also see: Pitso Mosimane makes bold call on tough Bafana Bafana friendlies
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