BAFANA Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane should now press the panic button.

Mosimane watched in despair as his men were outclassed and almost outscored by minnows Ethiopia in their opening 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier, but Katlego Mphela saved their blushes with a stunning equaliser.

Mosimane's 'intelligence' in the build-up to the game proved all wrong. The coach worried about former SuperSport United striker Fikru Tefera, who pulled a no-show for this vital encounter. Instead, it was Said Ahmed who carried this gallant Ethiopian team, putting them ahead in the 28th minute after left-back Tsepo Masilela lost possession in Bafana's half.

The home side never looked like recovering after conceding the early goal, with fans screaming instructions to the bench and baying for Mosimane's head.

While Bafana relied on free-kicks, in the hope that Ethiopia goalkeeper Sisay Basa would spill Mphela's shots, the visitors often took long-range attempts.

And they came close on a number of occasions.

Mphela, who now has 23 goals in appearances for Bafana, again showed that if left on the pitch long enough, he can score. That goal also saved Mosimane's job. He was going to be under immense pressure had 67th-ranked Bafana been beaten at home by the 138th-ranked Ethiopia.

This stalemate, which can partly be blamed on the coach's tactics, such as fielding an injury-prone Masilela ahead of the in-form Punch Masenamela, stretched Bafana's winless streak to seven official matches. The last time Mosimane led his men to victory was against Burkina Faso in August.

To his credit yesterday, the coach moved quickly to replace Masilela after his blunder that led to the Ethiopia goal, with Masenamela coming on and making an immediate impact as well as claiming the man of the match accolade.

At the half-time break, the ineffective Reneilwe Letsholonyane was also replaced, Mosimane brought on Oupa Manyisa for some creativity in midfield. But the Orlando Pirates midfielder was a pedestrian.

The coach then brought on Teko Modise for the defensive-minded Thanduyise Khuboni, and that is when things seemed to change. Mphela scored the equaliser minutes after Modise had come on, though he was not involved in setting up the Bafana forward.

Bafana will now face Botswana, who suffered a shock defeat to Central African Republic in the other Group A match, in Gaborone. And, in the words of Mphela, a win there is "non-negotiable".