Canaan Mdletshe

Canaan Mdletshe

Bafana Bafana staged a second half onslaught to cruise to a 2-0 victory over Mozambique in an international friendly at Chatsworth Stadium yesterday.

The home side went for the jugular from the onset and should have punished the error-prone Mozambican team.

They nearly scored in the third minute when Sibusiso Zuma was allowed a free header inside the six-yard area from a corner taken by Siphiwe Tshabalala.

Five minutes later, Mozambican goalkeeper, Marcelino Cumbane came off his line to deny Zuma yet another chance to score.

The Black Mambas suffered a major blow in the 15th minute when Marcelimo was injured and was replaced by Soanes Victor.

Bafana kept on piling on the pressure and created more scoring chances but failed to convert them.

Mozambique's first clear-cut chance of the match fell to Elias Pelembe when he was allowed a space to turn and shoot inside the box.

But his shot went narrowly wide, with Rowen Fernandez well beaten.

Carlos Alberto Pareira's boys should have punished Mozambique when defender, Tsepo Masilela made a good run from deep, beating a defender Nasser Carimo and goalkeeper Victor, before laying on a beautiful ball in the box.

But Zuma, Surprise Moriri and Steven Pienaar went for the same ball and in the process disturbed each other with the net wide open.

At the start of the second half, Parreira pulled out Moriri for Katlego Mphela and with his first touch, Mphela scored but only to be adjudged to have been in an off-side position by Botswana referee, Joshua Bondo.

Finally, Zuma got things right when he calmly slotted home inside the box from a Teko Modise pass in the 68th minute. Minutes later, Zuma and Pienaar were substituted for Kagiso Dikgacoi and Lerato Chabangu respectively. In referee's additional time, Chabangu made it 2-0 from Bryce Moon's cross.

l Basetsana hammered Mozambique 4-0 in the World Cup qualifier at Caledon Stadium in Pretoria yesterday..