Saturday | November 18, 2023

South Africa tops Group C after beating Benin 2-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium during the 2026 World Cup qualification tie in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in a poorly attended massive stadium, Percy Tau’s shine could not be dimmed as he fired Bafana Bafana (SA) ahead in the second minute of the first half.

Benin were caught chasing shadows at this stage and their head coach Gernot Rohr acknowledged this at the end of the match. 

Just before the stroke of half time, Khuliso Mudau doubled the lead: 2-0. However, Benin reduced the deficit through Steve Mounie on 69th minute to which Hugo Broos, SA head coach, said it was caused by a bit of panic in his defense lines.

With the score line at 2-1, Benin pushed hard for an equalizer to no avail. Rohr said he was satisfied with his troops for their performance after going down earlier in the game which is always difficult to recover from. Adding that they could have equalized.

His counterpart, Broos, admitted that it was not an easy game but was pleased with the results. He warned that his players should not undermine the opponents.

Even so, South Africa pocket the maximum points and meanwhile Lesotho and Nigeria lie second and third in Group C after their stalemate on Thursday.

Rwanda and Zimbabwe are positioned 4th and 5th on one point apiece from their Wednesday draw. Benin is at the bottom of the group after its loss today.

The FIFA (Federation of International Football Association) 2026 World Cup will be staged in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.