Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
The analysis of a soccer match usually centres around the skill, strength and speed of the footballers and the tactics of the coach. Luck is a word rarely mentioned.
Yet luck often plays a significant role and the African Nations Cup qualifying tie between South Africa and Gabon at Odi Stadium last weekend provided a good case in point.
After a tentative start in which they concentrated on keeping Bafana Bafana at bay, Gabon became more adventurous midway through the first half and took the lead via a swerving thunderbolt from Theodore Nzue-Nguema.
Gabon were ecstatic and became more adventurous, sensing a second goal would give them an excellent chance of a sensational away victory over a team that finished first and second in the previous two tournaments.
There were nine minutes remaining in the first half when a blunder by Aaron Mokoena set up a lightning counter-attack by the Gabonese that saw Nzue-Nguema race unopposed toward the goalmouth.
Quick-thinking Hans Vonk sprinted from his goal line to smother the shot, only for Ethiopian referee Tedla Tessema to penalise him for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
South African pulse rates quickened considerably because even those with a rudimentary knowledge of the rules of the game realised the foul would be classified as professional.
Vonk had handled the ball to deprive Gabon of a scoring opportunity and world governing body Fifa is specific about the punishment in such cases.
The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper should have been shown a red card.
Instead, Tessema left many of us extremely puzzled by awarding Gabon a free kick, but taking no action against the offender before the free kick rebounded off the defensive wall to safety.
Ultimately, it saved Tessema considerable embarrassment because slow-motion television replays proved beyond doubt that beanpole Vonk was inside the penalty area when he touched the ball.
We shall never know what impact the dismissal of Dutch-based Vonk might have had on the game, as South African would have been reduced to nine outfield players to accommodate reserve goalkeeper Brian Baloyi.
The odds, though, would have been against Bafana Bafana romping to a 4-1 victory courtesy of goals from John Moeti, Philemon Masinga, Shaun Bartlett and substitute Benni McCarthy.
Conspiracy theorists claimed that Moeti levelled deep into first-half injury time.This is untrue unless the watch worn by this humble member of the Muchineripi clan is defective.
“Dungi” scored his first goal for his country after 44 minutes and its value can never be underestimated as Gabonese morale was deflated just when they seemed set to leave the field one goal ahead.
Seldom has a team collapsed so dramatically in the second half as the Azingo Nationale and goals from Masinga and Ndlanya had the points virtually in the bag before the one-hour mark.
Masinga showed skill and control when scoring and it is about time ignorant South African supporters should realise what a precious national asset the gangling Italian-based striker is.
Fit-again Bartlett justified his recall in place of McCarthy with a superb near-post flick to finish off a Joel Masilela cross and McCarthy completed the rout by heading in the cross of the afternoon from Helman Mkhalele.
Talking of luck, one does not wish Lovers Mohlala any harm, but his departure with a bloody nose had a positive influence. Masilela ran at the Gabonese on the right and Mkhalele proved more effective when he switched wings.
Most concern centres around poor communication in defence with Vonk and Mark Fish acting like strangers in one first-half incident that almost led to a gift goal for the Central Africans.
A similar mix-up after half-time, this time involving Vonk and Masilela, ended with captain Lucas Radebe making a dramatic goal-line clearance to prevent Gabon equalising.
Adding to an unhappy afternoon for the defence was the tendency of Fish to charge forward recklessly, and often into space already occupied by South Africans, thereby condensing rather than creating room.
Mauritius stunned Angola 2-0 in Luanda the following afternoon to leave South Africa needing a draw in Gabon on April 11 and a home victory over Mauritius on June 5 to be certain of filling one of the two qualifying berths.
These are realistic goals, although Libreville promises to provide a more sustained examination of a Bafana Bafana defence that needs to get its priorities right.