Bafana Bafana held by Namibia on Cosafa Cup opener
Durban — Bafana Bafana were held to a 1-1 draw by Namibia in their opening match of the Cosafa Cup at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Wednesday evening.
The hosts huffed and puffed for majority of the match, but could put away an organised Brave Warriors outfit.
South Africa will face Botswana in their next group match on Saturday.
The Brave Warriors shocked the loud home crowd into silence when they stole the lead against the run of play through Chippa United’s Elmo Kambindu.
The 30-year-old midfielder must have not believed his luck when he was left unmarked in the far post and he obliged with an easy header to put the visitors in front in the 43rd minute.
It was a masterstroke substitution from the bench that saw Rowan Human come off the bench at halftime and find the equaliser in the 48th minute.
The Maritzburg United man scored his fourth goal in four outings for club and country when he arrived late to smash home the leveller from the penalty spot.
The opening ten minutes saw the hosts dominate the early exchanges buoyed by the rafters of supporters who graced the occasion in Umlazi.
However, it was the first visiting side that almost draw first in the 13th minute, left winger Wendell Rudath with a nearly an early contender for goal of the tournament
The Jwaneng Galaxy man jinxed his way from the middle of the park, dropping defenders all over the place before disappointingly dragging his low effort wide off Jethren Barr’s left upright.
That would set the tone for the rest of the game as Bafana struggled to break down a resolute Brave Warriors defence.
The Brave warriors will be the happiest of the two sides as they walk away with a hard-earned point from arguably the best team in the group.
IOL Sport