Foster and Adams strike to steer Bafana home

Bafana Bafana are marching towards a first World Cup qualification since 2002 as coach Hugo Broos’ men produced another excellent 2-0 win over Benin in Abidjan on Tuesday.

Lyle Foster was rewarded for a Trojan effort spearheading the attack at Félix Houphouët Boigny Stadium with the 53rd-minute opener.

Prodigious talent Jayden Adams contributed his second goal in his second start in the 84th minute.

SA put a dent in the chances of Benin, in second place in a strong campaign under former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr going into the game.

Crucially, Bafana also kept comfortable breathing space between themselves and Nigeria, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe in Uyo.

SA now have a commanding 13 points from six matches in group C. Rwanda, who beat Lesotho 1-0 in Kigali, are in second place on eight, the same as Benin. Nigeria have seven points, Lesotho six and Zimbabwe four.

It would be a tragedy if an off-field issue derailed Bafana’s best chance of reaching a World Cup in 23 years.

The Bafana camp were rocked on Tuesday by the realisation of an administrative bungle that had seen Teboho Mokoena play in Friday’s 2-0 win against Lesotho despite being on two yellow cards meaning he should have been suspended.

The SA Football Association believes the matter will not result in a sanction, which could be a points deduction, because Lesotho did not protest within the 24-hour deadline.

Yet, the development, and remaining possibility that Lesotho and dangerous chasers Nigeria seem sure to still push for disciplinary action, was not the sort of news a national team needed going into such a crucial game.

And in importance, the clash in Abidjan was huge. With a win or draw Bafana — leading group C on 10 points by two points from Benin — could keep their noses in front.

There was also the awareness that Nigeria, group favourites at the start of the campaign but who had suffered a nightmare start, had gone to six points with Thursday’s 2-0 away win against Rwanda. A defeat for SA and win for Nigeria at home to Zimbabwe would have left a point between Bafana and the Super Eagles with four games left.

As it turned out, an injury-time goal by Tawanda Chirewa earned Zimbabwe a share of the spoils against the Super Eagles, and Bafana are sitting pretty.

Mokoena, of course, did not start. Neither did his Mamelodi Sundowns teammate and central midfield partner and scorer against Lesotho Jayden Adams, as Bafana coach Hugo Broos employed Bathusi Aubaas and Thalente Mbatha in his engine room.

Benin, though the “home team” away from home, were content to sit in a low block and hit on the counter. It took hard graft for Bafana to engineer their half-chances and they did that well.

Foster headed Relebohile Mofokeng’s early corner wide. Benin’s Junior Olaitan got on the end of a speculative cross from deep, his header forcing a stop from Ronwen Williams.

Bafana right back Khuliso Mudau forced a save from a tight angle from keeper Marcel Dandjinou, then Foster was desperately dispossessed in the box.

The South Africans started the second half on the front foot again, Foster running onto a through ball and Dandjinou coming out of his box to intercept at the Burnley striker’s feet.

Foster provided Bafana’s spearhead, and it was no surprise he produced the breakthrough.

The pressure they had applied saw SA open Benin, left back Fawaaz Basadien played into space on the left of the box to square and Foster getting a faint touch past Dandjinou to finish off the right post.

From Mudau’s free kick from the right substitute Adams showed his class with an expert nodded finish to secure the three points.