Amakhosi held Simba to a goalless draw in Lubumbashi, with Brandon Petersen keeping a clean sheet. Late substitute Mfundo Vilakazi injected energy and urgency, but it wasn’t enough to break the deadlock. The second leg in Soweto now looms large.

After being defeated 3-0 and seeing their own World Cup dreams extinguished, Rwanda's coach Adel Amrouche felt he had an important message to deliver to Hugo Broos on the age of the Belgian's squad and the need for young players to be integrated ahead of major tournaments.

The Amakhosi star was a late call-up to the national team, replacing injured Orlando Pirates winger Relebohile Mofokeng. Broos then handed him his official national team debut after coming on as a substitute towards the end of the match against Rwanda, as South Africa had already made it difficult for their opponents to come back.

After being frustrated by the Warriors, Bafana's hopes now largely depend on the results from Nigeria and Benin. The Super Eagles will host their West African counterparts in a match that carries a lot of stakes in determining the winner of the group.

The former Cameroon coach was forced to make another change to his squad after another key player was ruled out. To fill the gap, the tactician considered the Sea Robber, whom he believes is up to the task.