Bafana overwhelm Chad in Afcon qualifier

Bafana Bafana increased their chances of qualification for the 2008 African Cup of Nations with an effortless 4-0 victory against Chad at Durban’s Absa Stadium on Saturday.

The win keeps Bafana in pole position in Group 11 with ten points from four matches while Chad will fly back home worrying about how to fix the wreckage. After four matches they do not have a single point to show for their trouble after losing all their fixtures.

The 4-0 scoreline could have been bigger had Bafana been more business-like on the day. A lot of missed opportunities by the hosts and the inability to land the killer blow with their opponents clearly against the ropes, cost the home team a few goals.

Nevertheless, it was a significant win which keeps the country’s hope for Ghana 2008 well alive. And there were a lot of positives to take from this encounter - notably the defence which held their ground and the midfield which were reasonably efficient on the day.

PENALTY APPEAL TURNED DOWN

The signs were up early in the first half that the visitors would be in for a very uncomfortable afternoon when Bafana’s appeals for a penalty were turned down after a Chad defender had handled while trying to clear the ball on five minutes.

But it didn’t matter as Bafana went about their business of securing the maximum points. Their monopoly in the first ten minutes was almost rewarded with a goal as Sibusiso Zuma’s header went just wide after Elrio van Heerden had delivered a perfect cross from the right. But it was not too long before the locals, who braved the cold weather, could celebrate.

Zuma broke through after a fine build-up but was tripped by the Chad keeper, resulting in a penalty for Bafana on 13 minutes. Greece-based defender Nasief Morries stepped up to put the home team in the lead with a well-taken kick low to the left of the keeper.

German-bound keeper Rowen Fernandez only touched the ball for the fist time on 23 minutes and contributed to Bafana’s second goal. After the goal-kick the ball was played to Delron Buckley on the left and he delivered a low cross to Zuma, who slotted the ball past the Chad keeper.

Up to then it had been one-way traffic for Bafana and the floodgates were flung wide open on 33 minutes with Zuma grabbing his second of the match as he punished sloppy defending by Chad.

Chad indeed provided little resistance, if any at all, and for Bafana it was more like an afternoon stroll in the park. However, instead of returning from the break with guns blazing, they appeared to have forgotten the ammunition in the dressing room and Chad appeared to grow in confidence.

Bafana should have been awarded another penalty on 56 minutes after Zuma was pulled down in the box but the referee allowed play to continue.

Another chance went to waste on 67 minutes. A Chad corner was punched clear by Fernandez and the ball fell to Siyabonga Nomvete who ran half the length of the field with Zuma giving him an option to the right but he opted to go it alone and his effort was saved. Two minutes later, Van Heerden made a solo run, attacking from the right and his cross was fumbled by Chad, allowing Nomvete to sweep home the loose ball.

Overall a good day in the office for Bafana and a record-equaling score and a victory that will keep the coach happy. The 4-0 score bettered Bafana's previous record of 4-1 against Namibia, Gabon and Swaziland. It was also the country's 200th match since returning from international isolation 15 years ago.