Point Gained! Point Made!

Euphoria! Jubilation! Celebration!

Bafana Bafana gained a point AND scored a goal at the African Nations Cup Finals!

Right, when the dust has settled and we reflect it must be stated that we only gained a solitary point from this encounter, but we have to delve back a lot further to see why this point means so much.

In recent years we, the Bafana-loving supporters, have been forced to watch aimless, pointless, passionless and boring football. How that all changed last night!

I cannot remember the last time South Africa played with such passion, fight and determination. We played like a team, like a group and we meant business! We bossed the game for large spells of the match and I believe we were desperately unlucky not to claim victory.

Angola opened the scoring, through Manucho, but completely against the run of play, this after Modise had stung the palms of Lama with a ferocious long-range strike. The goal seemed to knock the wind out of Bafana and going into half-time Angola had begun to dominate. After the break it was all South Africa as Bafana went in search of the important equaliser. CAP brought Lerato Chabangu and Terror Fanteni on to replace Surprise Moriri and Siphiwe Tshabalala, and the move paid dividends.

We created chances and looked particularly useful from set-pieces. Chances came and went, Mhlongo blazed wide from a header following good work from Morris. Fanteni tested Lama again from long range. It looked like Bafana’s brave efforts would go unrewarded when substitute Elrio van Heerden scored with a wonderful strike from distance that gave Bafana a deserved point.

Now, South Africa head into Sunday’s encounter with Tunisia with renewed hope and vigour knowing that a victory against the Northern Africans could almost put one foot into the quarter-finals.

Rowen Fernandez has started training and is probably going to make the starting eleven against Tunisia. I believe that CAP learnt some valuable lessons against Angola and I am predicting that he starts with both Elrio van Heerden and Terror Fanteni at the expense of Tshabalala and Moriri.

Viva Bafana! The Nation expects!