Bafana star: That woke me up

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Bafana Bafana star Kamogelo Sebelebele tackling Guinea star Aliou Baldé. (Photo: Gallo Images)

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Bafana star: That woke me up

Sep 28, 2026 – 11:25 am
By KO Journalist

Orlando Pirates star Kamogelo Sebelebele has opened up on his battle against Guinea winger Aliou Baldé during Bafana Bafana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the West Africans.

The game at the Orlando Amstel Arena ended 2-1 in favour of South Africa, with Sebelebele playing a key role in helping Bafana secure all three points.

Wearing the No. 10 shirt, Baldé was one of Guinea’s biggest threats on the day, showing his pace and dribbling ability whenever he got on the ball.

The 23-year-old initially gave Aubrey Modiba trouble on the left side, beating the Bafana defender with a clever dribble.

He then switched to Sebelebele’s side and continued to cause problems, producing another impressive piece of skill as he looked to get past the Pirates star.

However, Sebelebele soon found his rhythm and managed to keep Baldé quiet for the remainder of the contest, with his performance ultimately earning him the Man of the Match award.

Speaking after the match, Sebelebele opened up on his battle with Baldé, revealing how the Guinea attacker’s early success changed his approach.

“When the game started, he beat me on one challenge, and that woke me up. I told myself that he won’t do it again,” Sebelebele told SABC Sport.

“So I said to myself, this is our home ground, it is South Africa, and no one can come and disrespect me at home.

“I realised during the game that he has qualities and, when I saw that, I had to keep close to him so he could not play.”

Sebelebele was also pleased with the way Bafana responded after conceding, praising the team’s overall performance.

However, the 24-year-old also believes the result should serve as a reminder to Bafana not to underestimate any of their opponents in the group.

“I think we played well, we defended well, in fact, the whole team played well. It was just that mistake and they scored from it, but we managed to get the second goal,” he added.

READ | Guinea coach: ‘Bafana Bafana are one of Africa’s top three’

“These kind of games make us keep going and not relax. They make us aware that we should not disrespect or take other teams for granted because every team plays to win.

“It is not an easy group, but we will push because we want to finish on top of the table.”

Bafana immediately jetted out to Egypt after the game, where they will face Eritrea at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.