The unsuspecting might have imagined this was the African Nations Cup itself as Bafana Bafana secured a 2-1 win over a Premier Soccer League (PSL) XI in a hammer-and-tongs dress rehearsal at King’s Park in Durban on Friday night.
Motivating the all-action, rousing nature of the game in which Bafana led 2-0 at the interval was a desire of the PSL players to force their way into the Egypt-bound squad at the 11th hour — or, at least, to prove they were as good as those selected ahead of them.
Bafana coach Ted Dumitru had hinted there would be a couple of late surprises when he announces his finalised squad for the Nations Cup in the next day or two — and some of the PSL XI players certainly enhanced their prospects in an evenly contested, uncompromising encounter.
Bafana had often been under pressure before snatching the initiative with opportunist goals from Siyabonga Nomvete and Benedict Vilakazi within the space of three minutes shortly before half-time.
But even with wholesale changes in both teams after the interval, the momentum remained intact and the PSL XI’s poised, 56th-minute penalty goal from Mnqoba Ngwenya was due reward for the team’s unwavering endeavour.
The penalty was awarded against recalled central defender Pierre Issa, who otherwise produced a solid performance.
An equaliser was always in the offing, but the PSL’s Alton Meiring’s penchant for running into off-side positions had a stifling effect on his team scoring.
Calvin Marlin in the Bafana goal gave a characteristically flawless performance and the national team had an understandably more solid appearance to their opponents in view of a lengthier training period.
But the big question that will only be answered in Egypt is exactly what was the merit of the PSL opposition in relation to teams in the African Nations Cup. — Sapa