Owen Da Gama - South Africa U23Gallo

Bafana teenage duo will play against Angola, says Owen Da Gama

South Africa under-20 internationals Phakamani Mahlambi and Luther Singh were called up to the senior team by stand-in Bafana Bafana coach Owen Da Gama.

The teenage duo are seen as two of South Africa’s brightest talents and Da Gama has opted to introduce them early into the national team.

However, the attacking duo did not feature against Guinea Bissau as Bafana defeated the African Wild Dogs 3-1 to extend their unbeaten run. In the build-up to Tuesday night’s encounter Da Gama has stated that he will rotate the team in an effort to give the entire squad some valuable game time.

Article continues below

“It was very difficult to choose a team in the first place,” Da Gama told Safa’s website.

“You want to give players a chance to play but also you want to get the right combinations, and we wanted to play the type of soccer that suits South African players. But we were happy with the combinations we saw in this match,” Da Gama added.

Speaking of Singh and Mahlambi, the interim coach stated that they will be given their debuts in East London.

“It just shows the rich talent we have in this country,” Da Gama said.

“There’s obviously still a lot of hard work to do ahead. And we will make more changes in the second match, the two youngsters will play – Phakamani Mahlambi and Luther Singh – because we have to be brave enough to give them a chance, it’s the only way we can move forward. So we were very happy with the exercise against Guinea-Bissau,” Da Gama concluded. 

Advertisement