POLOKWANE – A youthful Bafana Bafana side oozed confidence as they beat Botswana 3-0 in the plate final of the COSAFA Cup, played at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday evening.
The win allowed Stuart Baxter's team to life the plate for the second consecutive year, having beaten Namibia 1-0 in last year plate final in the southern African football competition. The win also ended Botswana's 5-match unbeaten run.
Goals from Madisha, Modiba and Maboe with Modiba named Man of the Match
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 8, 2018
With the half-time break looking, Mamelodi Sundowns star Motjeka Madisha managed to send a glancing header into the back of the Botswana goal-net, from a quality cross from the right side of the park sent in by Aubrey Modiba.
The scoreline flattered the Botswana side as Bafana Bafana could have been two or three goals to the good after the first 45 minutes.
Siphesihle Ndlovu should have opened the scoring for the South Africans in the 18th minute when Ryan Moon played him through, but the striker fired wide of the target.
Lebohang Maboe should also have got on the score-sheet in the 30th minute, with his goal-bound effort taking a deflection to save the day for the Botswana side.
With less than a quarter of the match left, the tournament hosts sealed the deal with Ndlovu being the supplier for Modiba to finish, as Botswana fell prey to a well-worked South African counter-attack move.
In the dying moments of the game, Kaizer Chiefs' teenage midfielder Wiseman Meyiwa manage to work the ball away from the Botswana midfield and played Maboe through to finish the scoring.
PRIZE MONIES FOR THE COSAFA CUP 2018
1ST PLACE R500K
2ND PLACE R250K / runner up
3RD PLACE R150K
4th PLACE R125K
5th PLACE R100K (PLATE WINNERS) #2018cosafacup @SAFA_net
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 8, 2018