Boost for AFCON-bound Bafana Bafana as Siyabonga Ngezana shooks off injury to score in FCSB's vital Europa League win

On Saturday, FCSB played Dinamo Bucharest in the Romanian top-flight football, a match that was played at the National Arena.

Siyabonga Ngezana started the game but was subbed before the start of the second half owing to an injury sustained. 

The club's General Manager, Mihai Stoica, had even expressed his fears about the availability of the dependable centre-back against the Dutch outfit.

"[Ngezana's] knee hurt, and he couldn’t continue. He went to therapy this morning. Let’s see if he can play on Thursday," he said as quoted by Fanatik.

It was a worry for Bafana Bafana, who are set to use Ngezana in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Morocco from December 21 to January 18.

The Kaizer Chiefs Academy graduate passed a late fitness test to start against their hosts in the Europa League's League Phase.

The South Africa international needed 11 minutes to make an impact for his team; he converted Risto Radunovic's ball in the 11th minute to give FCSB a deserved lead.

Casper Tengstedt and Quinten Timber struck in the 41st and 44th minutes respectively, with Luciano Valente providing both assists.

In the 51st minute, Leo Sauer converted Jordan Bos's pass to make it 3-1 in favour of the visitors, but Juri Cisotti assisted Mihali Toma three minutes later to make it 2-3.

With three minutes to go, Mamadou Thiam leveled the scores thanks to an assist from Valentin Cretu before thousands at the Arena National Stadium were sent into wild cheers in the fifth minute of added time when Cisotti fed Florin Tanase in the area, and the latter made no mistake to hand FCSB their second win in the competition, from the six outings.

It was Ngezana's first goal in the European competition this season.

Ngezana has been a starter for the Romanian outfit since his move from the Glamour Boys in 2023.

In his debut season, he helped FCSB win the Liga 1, a crown they successfully defended last season. The Bafana Bafana international was also a rock as his team secured the Romanian Super Cup in the last two editions.

It explains why, in the last two campaigns, he has been selected to the Liga 1 Team of the Season twice and voted the Super Liga Defender of the Season once.

A recent controversial ruling by the World Football Governing Body, FIFA, gave clubs the power to release their players six days before a major competition.

"I would say it is totally unfair and unacceptable, because when you look at it - you start to make assumptions that maybe FIFA does not take African football too serious, as they do with Europeans. You start to feel less important compared to other leagues. That is why I say CAF needs to start making that point to FIFA, even now with AFCON being played in December, sometimes you start in January, and you have to go play the World Cup right after," Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele reacted to the ruling.

"In actual fact, looking at the planning of CAF, playing the AFCON closer to the World Cup, I can say on one hand it is good on the other it brings more disadvantage to us. Especially, in this new FIFA format where you have 48 teams playing in different altitudes, so it really becomes difficult for Africa teams to plan. You also saw that FIFA has allowed clubs to release players on the 15th. I feel that this will also have a negative impact in preparation for the World Cup," he concluded.

FCSB have a league game against Unirea Slobozia on Monday; it is interesting to see whether the defender will be on duty before joining his compatriots for Africa's biennial competition.