Bafana Bafana went on a rampage in Cairo on Wednesday night, demolishing Eritrea 5-0 in a one-sided Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group D qualifier at the Al-Salam Stadium.
South Africa produced a dominant performance from start to finish, turning their second Group D assignment under returning coach Pitso Mosimane into a convincing statement of intent.
The emphatic victory means Mosimane has now started his latest spell in charge with two wins from two AFCON qualifiers.
Bafana opened their campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, with Ime Okon scoring in the 30th minute before Samukelo Kabini struck in the 77th minute. Guinea pulled one back through Cissé in the 69th minute.
But there was nothing narrow about Wednesday night’s performance.
Bafana were ruthless in front of goal, with Relebohile Mofokeng opening the scoring in the 19th minute before doubling South Africa’s advantage in first-half stoppage time (45+1).
Sphephelo Sithole then extended Bafana’s lead in the 52nd minute, putting South Africa firmly in control.
The South Africans continued to dominate as the game progressed, eventually completing a 5-0 rout of Eritrea.
The five-goal victory gives Mosimane a perfect start to his return as Bafana coach, with six points from his first two competitive matches.
The match was played in Cairo because Eritrea does not currently have a stadium meeting the required international standards for hosting the fixture.
South Africa had entered the match at the top of Group D after beating Guinea, while Eritrea had collected a point from their opening match following a 1-1 draw against Kenya in Nairobi.
The emphatic victory will provide Mosimane and his technical team with plenty of encouragement as they continue their campaign to secure qualification for the 2027 AFCON finals.
Bafana will also face Egypt in an international friendly on October 4, again in Cairo, before returning to their AFCON qualifying campaign later in the year.
For now, however, the focus is firmly on a Bafana side that left the Al-Salam Stadium with five goals, three points and a perfect six-point start under Mosimane.