Pitso Mosimane was proud to lead his side to a 2-1 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over Guinea in his first game in charge of Bafana Bafana.
Ime Okon opened the scoring after 30 minutes at the Amstel Orlando Arena. Seydouba Cisse levelled on 69 minutes but Samukele Kabini netted a 77th minute winner.
The result saw South Africa take top spot in Group D with three points, while Kenya and Eritrea claimed a point apiece after their 1-1 draw in the other game in the group.
Reflecting on the result, a delighted Mosimane heaped praise on Bafana’s opponents as they pushed South Africa all the way.
“What a game!,” said Mosimane in the Citizen. “You have to give respect to Guinea, with the level and quality they have. You ask yourself why this team has not been in the Cup of Nations for so long”.
Guinea failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 tournament.
“It was very difficult for us, we were playing at home and had to attack,” added Mosimane.
“I think we started well, showing we were playing at home, the mentality was good. We pressed at the beginning and stole a few balls, we knew how they played. Their midfield is very good. But we pressed, we thought we could get something, and we got something.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t take the chances we created. But we put pressure on and showed we wanted to score. We had many free kicks and corners. The South African challenge is that we don’t score easily. We score two out of six chances maybe. But we had the right mentality, we wanted to play and fight and press.
Read: AFCON 2027 qualifiers wrap: Nigeria rally, Egypt held, Senegal draw
“We created opportunities. You can complain about not scoring, but you cannot complain about not creating.”
Bafana next play Eritrea on Wednesday.