Mosimane Praises Mbuthuma And Rayners After Guinea Win
Pitso Mosimane during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier between South African and Guinea
Pitso Mosimane has acknowledged that South Africa still face a familiar challenge in front of goal despite opening their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea.
Bafana Bafana created several opportunities during Saturday’s qualifier at the Orlando Amstel Arena, but were unable to turn their dominance into a more comfortable scoreline.
Read – Pitso’s Plea To Bafana Fans: ‘Come On Guys, Help Us’
Mosimane reflected on the number of opportunities Bafana created in the first half, while acknowledging the familiar problem of converting those chances into goals.
“We got many free kicks, many corner kicks in the first half, and you don’t get that if you don’t create opportunities. But you know, the South African challenge, we don’t score easily. We score two out of six maybe, but you can’t complain about the boys,” Mosimane told journalists during his post-match press conference.
“They have the right mentality, they want to play, they fight, they press, and we create opportunities. Sometimes we complain about not scoring, but we should not complain about creating chances. Because sometimes you’re not scoring because you don’t make any chances.”
Mosimane was particularly impressed by Yanela Mbuthuma, who came off the bench and played a key role in the winning goal, providing the assist for defender Samukele Kabini. The coach felt the contribution could also prove important for the Pirates striker’s confidence.
“I was happy for Mbuthuma to make this assist. It is good for his confidence. I thought he would convert the other one, the cross that came just to put himself in the team properly. But he came on, he fought,” Mosimane said.
The coach also highlighted the contribution of Iqraam Rayners, who led the line before being substituted for Mbuthuma. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Rayners was praised for his movement, pressing and work rate — with Mosimane explaining why he opted for the Sundowns striker over Cassius Mailula.
“I didn’t need a Cassius (Mailula) for this game. Cassius is smart. He’s intelligent. But I needed a 9. Because sometimes, you know, Iqraam can take you out with one ball. You saw that. But the ball didn’t fall for Iqraam. There was one I thought it would fall for him. And as he tried to turn, I knew he would score that ball. But it didn’t fall for him,” Mosimane explained.
For Mosimane, Rayners’ contribution could not simply be measured by whether his name appeared on the scoresheet — a reminder that the work of a striker extends well beyond the final touch.
“He made good runs also in the first half. The boys didn’t see him from the left side. I thought they would pass him because he had been fighting and pressing from the top. He started to press. So, he worked hard. The striker working hard is not scoring goals. We might not see that kind of side of the game. We’re looking at, did he score?” Mosimane added.
Bafana ultimately secured the three points, but Mosimane’s assessment underlined the balance between creating opportunities and becoming more clinical in front of goal as South Africa continue their qualifying campaign.
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