Bafana Bafana secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Uganda in their AFCON qualifier on Friday afternoon at the Mandela National Stadium.
Thapelo Morena and Patrick Maswanganyi were on target, with their goals propelling South Africa to the top of the group standings.
Afrik-Foot looks at five take aways from the match.
- Bafana strongest in their group
South Africa has climbed to the top of their AFCON qualifying group and is likely to retain their position, especially considering their upcoming match against South Sudan, where they are favourites to win.
Having emerged victorious against every opponent in the group at least once, South Africa has established itself as the strongest team.
Although Uganda managed to secure a 2-2 draw in the first leg, capitalising on Veli Mothwa's errors to overturn a 2-0 deficit, they were comprehensively defeated by Bafana Bafana on home soil on Friday.
- Dortley’s learning curve
Despite delivering solid performances in previous Bafana Bafana matches, Rushwin Dortley still has room for improvement.
In the recent match against Uganda, he made a few errors that could have had serious consequences for the team.
However, the timely interventions of Mothobi Mvala and Ronwen Williams prevented those mistakes from costing South Africa dearly.
While Dortley is capable of accurate passing, he occasionally made careless giveaways and struggled to maintain his defensive solidity.
- Bafana still need Grant Kekana
The exclusion of Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana from the Bafana Bafana squad came as somewhat of a surprise, particularly considering his consistent and impressive performances since the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Kekana's strong partnership with Mvala at club level has seamlessly translated to the national team, and the duo played a pivotal role in Bafana Bafana's successful AFCON campaign, where the team secured a bronze medal.
His absence was felt against Uganda.
- Maswanganyi slowly coming to the party
Although he was only afforded less than 20 minutes of playing time, Rushwin Dortley showcased a clear intent to make an impact on the game.
While his performance wasn't as free-flowing as he would have preferred, he consistently sought to dictate the game's tempo and penetrate the opposition's defensive lines.
His most significant contribution to the match was undoubtedly the magnificent goal he scored in the 89th minute, doubling the team's lead.
- Morena is a natural a super sub
Morena has become a reliable man for Broos when goals are not coming. He has proven his ability to deliver crucial goals, as evidenced by his match-winning performance against Zimbabwe in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
In the recent match against Uganda, Morena once again demonstrated his knack for decisive moments, breaking the deadlock in a game where goals were hard to come by.
