Bafana Bafana made use of their territorial advantage at FNB Stadium on Saturday when they beat Burkina Faso 2-0 in a 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifier.
Steven Pienaar and Shaun Bartlett scored in the 13th and 32nd minutes respectively to help ease the pressure for the South Africans on the road to Germany and Egypt.
This was the Stallions’ second defeat against Bafana in four encounters.
In front of a sparse crowd, Bafana took the initiative and attacked with much greater numbers from the start. Pienaar, Bartlett, Benedict McCarthy and Benedict Vilakazi were all prominent in these attacking forays, but all missed many clear-cut chances.
However, it was Pienaar who turned the heat on every time he had possession and converted Bafana’s first after receiving a cross from Bartlett.
McCarthy squandered a golden opportunity to register his name on the scorers’ list in the 22nd minute, but the FC Porto player, who has been banging in goals for his Portuguese club side, fired well wide.
Bartlett, winning his 67th cap, finally found the net for his 27th Bafana goal when his diving header from a perfect cross provided by Japhet Zwane sailed past goalkeeper Kabore Mohamed.
The Burkibane never recovered and just huffed and puffed about the pitch until the final whistle. The visitors never troubled Bafana and their only serious attempt at goal came in the 59th minute when Dagano Moumoui rifled a shot wide.
In the 74th minute tempers flared from both sides when referee Lanto Ramanampamonjy booked Bradley Carnell for an infringement on Outtara Moussa. The situation almost got out of hand as players involved themselves in pushing and shoving, but peace eventually prevailed. — Sapa