Orlando Pirates-linked Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Ashley Cupido inspire Bafana Bafana to victory over Mozambique as Mohau Nkota impresses

The hosts signalled their attacking intent early, controlling possession as Orlando Pirates pair Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota forced saves from Mozambique goalkeeper Ivane Urrubal. 

As the first half wore on, the game began to resemble last Friday’s stalemate against Tanzania, where Bafana Bafana continued to dominate the ball but couldn’t convert their chances. 

Mozambique, meanwhile, had Urrubal to thank for keeping the scores level as the sides went into the break locked at 0-0.

Just over a minute into the second half, South Africa opened the scoring as Sinoxolo Kwayiba powered a header into the net from Nkota’s well-placed corner.

South Africa maintained their attacking momentum and doubled their lead in the 70th minute, when substitute Ashley Cupido fired home a well-taken strike from outside the box.

Broos’ men kept pushing for more goals, but the 2-0 scoreline was enough to finish their international friendlies on a positive note.

Orlando Pirates’ Mohau Nkota put in a lively display, capping it off with a well-earned assist. His relentless pressure and sharp movement consistently troubled the Mozambique defence.

Despite a solid performance from their goalkeeper Ivane Urrubal, the Mambas offered little in attack and rarely troubled the South African defence. 

For the majority of the match, they were pinned back and struggled to gain any real momentum going forward.

The South Africans will next be in action when the Fifa World Cup qualifiers resume with a clash against Lesotho on 1 September. 

That will be followed by a highly anticipated encounter against Nigeria on 8 September.