Bafana Bafana scored an easy 3-0 win over Lesotho in a friendly international played at the Sethoto stadium in Maseru on Wednesday night.
The South Africans led 1-0 at halftime.
Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba was all smiles after his charges routed a game but outclassed Lesotho, who were using the match to prepare for their World Cup eliminator against Botswana in Gaborone this weekend.
The win started Bafana’s programme in preparation for January’s African Nations Cup finals to be staged in Tunisia.
Bafana had the better of the first half on a hard and bumpy pitch. The only goal of the half was scored though skipper John ”Shoes” Moshoeu, who scored with a brilliant free kick in the 23rd minute.
The South Africans were good value for their 1-0 at halftime. Lesotho were well served by pacey striker Moses Ramafole who shaved the Bafana crossbar in the fourth minute.
Once the visitors had settled on the difficult playing surface, they looked the better side. Abram Raselemane was narrowly wide of the Lesotho goal with a stunning header from a Moshoeu cross on 20 minutes.
But three minutes after, the 20 000-strong crowd was silenced when Moshoeu hit the back of the net with a perfectly flighted free kick.
Ramafole wasted a chance to equalise when he shot tamely at keeper Moeneeb Josephs in the 25th minute. Jabu Pule had two chances to increase Bafana’s lead. The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder hit the side netting in the 30th minute and forced keeper Tumelo Ntosoane to make a great save from his powerful shot two minutes from the break.
Five minutes after the restart Josephs showed his potential when he brilliantly denied Ramafole a goal with a stunning save from the hard-working Lesotho forward’s well-directed shot.
With the crowd roaring them on, Lesotho started to take the game to Bafana in search of the equaliser.
But they were stopped dead in their tracks when substitute Stanton Fredericks’s shot deflected off unlucky Ramafole in the 66th minute. A goal in the 72nd minute from Raselemane rounded off a great night’s work and sent home the capacity crowd dispirited.
However, to their credit Lesotho failed to give in an it took a fine save from Josephs to prevent Mophari Ntobo from scoring a consolation goal five minutes from time. — Sapa
Bafana take on Costa Rico in Pochefstroom in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup on Saturday.