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Bafana defend unbeaten record against Uganda

football09 June 2021 05:21| © Mzansi Football
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Percy Tau © Gallo Images

Bafana Bafana will face Uganda in an international friendly at the Orlando Stadium on Thursday, the fourth time they have met the Cranes as they defend an unbeaten record.

It will be a depleted Bafana squad that takes to the pitch, hit by the unavailability of a number of key players, including lead forward Percy Tau, due to injury and illness.

But they will be hoping to get the tenure of new Belgian coach Hugo Broos off to a positive start, even if the side will be led by his assistants Cedomir Janevski and Helman Mkhalele as the 69-year-old receives a second Covid-19 vaccine dose in his homeland.

Bafana first met Uganda in the qualifiers for the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany and came away with a pair of hard-fought wins.

A Benni McCarthy penalty just past the hour-mark steered South Africa to a 1-0 win in front of 60 000 fans in Kampala under then coach Stuart Baxter.

That was followed by a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture at Soccer City as Quinton Fortune converted another penalty and Steven Pienaar claimed a rare international goal, one of just three he managed in 62 caps for the country.

In between former Kaizer Chiefs forward David Obua converted a penalty for the Ugandans that had drawn them level.

It was not until 2019 that the teams met again as they clashed in the COSAFA Cup that was staged in Durban, with East Africans Uganda invited as guests for the competition.

South Africa had sent their Olympic Games squad to the tournament, which played under the Bafana Bafana banner and were led by coach David Notoane.

Dan Sserunkuma put the Ugandans ahead, before a vicious strike from Luther Singh drew the home side level.

The match went to penalties and South Africa advanced 4-2 as goalkeeper Mondli Mpoto saved the first two spot-kicks in the shoot-out from the Ugandans.

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