BAFANA Bafana claimed the Nelson Mandela Challenge yesterday by beating Ivory Coast 2-0 - but the biggest winner was coach Shakes Mashaba, who grew his reputation as a classy tactician.
Mashaba also extended his unbeaten record in charge of the national team to seven matches. He turned a match not many were paying attention to - especially some of the biggest Premier Soccer League clubs - into a serious, full-blooded and enterprising contest.
On paper this was a Sunday league kick-about, but Mbombela was treated to a cup final. Bongani Zungu and David Zulu scored the goals.
You could be tugging a rickshaw but Mashaba would make you feel like you can take on F1 champion Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes around the Abu Dhabi track.
He is a coach so comfortable in his ability that he managed to eke out admirable performances from a squad assembled at the last minute, which had two days to train.
When other coaches have moaned about the club versus country debacle, Mashaba saw this as a chance to strengthen the next conveyor belt of his selection pool.
The teams fielded much stronger line-ups yesterday than the last time they contested this challenge, which they shared after a 1-1 draw in Port Elizabeth in 2011, but this was a much more entertaining match.
Zungu scored the first goal with a sweeping finish in the 31st minute.
Less than 10 minutes into the second period Chippa United forward Zulu put right the ratio between on-field dominance and the scoreboard.
Ivory Coast had a chance with 19 minutes remaining to set up a nervy finish to the contest but Diomande Sory Ibrahim failed to make the most of Sangre Ibrahim's lob, goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane making the save.
Bafana Bafana see off Ivory Coast
BAFANA Bafana claimed the Nelson Mandela Challenge yesterday by beating Ivory Coast 2-0 - but the biggest winner was coach Shakes Mashaba, who grew his reputation as a classy tactician.
Mashaba also extended his unbeaten record in charge of the national team to seven matches. He turned a match not many were paying attention to - especially some of the biggest Premier Soccer League clubs - into a serious, full-blooded and enterprising contest.
On paper this was a Sunday league kick-about, but Mbombela was treated to a cup final. Bongani Zungu and David Zulu scored the goals.
You could be tugging a rickshaw but Mashaba would make you feel like you can take on F1 champion Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes around the Abu Dhabi track.
He is a coach so comfortable in his ability that he managed to eke out admirable performances from a squad assembled at the last minute, which had two days to train.
When other coaches have moaned about the club versus country debacle, Mashaba saw this as a chance to strengthen the next conveyor belt of his selection pool.
The teams fielded much stronger line-ups yesterday than the last time they contested this challenge, which they shared after a 1-1 draw in Port Elizabeth in 2011, but this was a much more entertaining match.
Zungu scored the first goal with a sweeping finish in the 31st minute.
Less than 10 minutes into the second period Chippa United forward Zulu put right the ratio between on-field dominance and the scoreboard.
Ivory Coast had a chance with 19 minutes remaining to set up a nervy finish to the contest but Diomande Sory Ibrahim failed to make the most of Sangre Ibrahim's lob, goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane making the save.
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