This was Teboho Mokoena’s party. As such, he brought two moments of sheer excitement that two incidents of ‘untoward joy’ from the fans nearly ruined it.
Mokoena scored a brace as Bafana Bafana hammered Congo Brazzaville 5-0 in their first leg of back-to-back Afcon qualifiers at a buzzing Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium last night.
Bathusi Aubaas, Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners completed the rout which has now seen Bafana only needing a win in Congo on Tuesday to reach the 2025 Afcon finals.
The people of Gqeberha came out in numbers, filling up the venue to the rafters, albeit two pitch invasion incidents, after Mokoena’s goals, nearly becoming disastrous.
Mokoena was the main act for this game given his performance from start to finish. Hence, he was duly the Man of the Match and given a standing ovation when he was withdrawn.
Mokoena displayed a top performance which, perhaps, left his Mamelodi Sundowns' coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who had kept him out of the team since September, with an egg on his face.
He also repaid the faith shown to him by coach Hugo Broos with this perforamance as there was a wide range of doubt on whether he’ll start despite his crisis at club level.
The somewhat 10-minute break due to pitch invasions for both Mokoena’s goals could have turned what had been a dream start for Bafana into a nightmare.
Referee Dahane Beida could have decided to call the game off completely, resulting in Bafana losing the match due to laws relating to pitch invading.
But thanks to an unlikely collaboration between Safa and the sport ministry, security was beefed up during that break, resulting in the completion of Mokoena’s party.
Sure, the violation of the laws of the game is not condoned, but the pitch invaders, perhaps, couldn’t help but be caught in the euphoria of this great exhibition.
Mokoena needed this, and the Bafana fans who filled this stadium backed him up. After all, his “life right now” has been doing mall trips with his son.
The 27-year-old had seemed to miss this buzzing atmosphere so much so that when he lined up for the national anthem, alongside Themba Zwane, his eyes were reddish.
The crowd that filled this Word Cup venue – which served its footballing purpose today– added to his emotionality as. They duly joined in on the anthem, singing their lungs out.
But for all his emotionality, Mokoena seemed as though he had forgotten the football instincts that made him the PSL Footballer of the Season two seasons ago at home.
He fluffed a glorious cut-back from Khuliso Mudau, something he’d usually rattle home with ease, before being the first man to land in the hot books of Beida.
But boy, Mokoena would dust himself off to remind the fraternity why Sundowns had put an asking price of €5 million when overseas-based teams came asking after his fine exploits in Abidjan.
Mokoena rose high inside the box to head home a blinding shot from Oswin Appollis corner-kick to send the venue into a frenzy and the first pitch invaders into losing their minds.
Beida launched his first warning to the fans, temporarily halting play – to the curiosity of Hugo Broos who chit-chatted with the fourth official.
Mokoena was back at it, and in some style. The Sundowns anchor latched onto Appollis’ short pass before wrapping his foot around the ball to hit a thunderbolt past Christoffer Mafoumbi.
The break came and went. And Mokoena decided to recharge his batteries, helping more in defence and consolidating play, giving more freedom to Bathusi Aubaas.
The Sundowns midfielder – who was one of the four changes to the last starting line-up alongside Mokoena, Elias Mokwana, and Grant Kekana – grabbed that opportunity with both hands.
Aubaas, who was replacing the injured Sphephelo Sithole albeit getting limited game-time at club level, headed home later in the half as Appollis completed a hat trick of assists.
The start to the second half couldn’t have gotten any better for Mokoena and Co. Lyle Foster tapped home the fourth from close-range after a diagonal defence splitting pass from Mokwana.
There were no nervy moments due to pitch inavasions for this goal, with Bafana’s only scare before that having come when Williams made a poor pass. A feat he quickly rectified.
A clean sheet was on the bucket list for Williams coming into this game given that he was playing in front of his hometown crowd. A wish he duly ticked off!
Not only was a career reviver sealed or a wish granted here, but there was also a legendary status that was cemented – Themba Zwane made his 50th international appearance.
There was some bitter news for Bafana, though, as Foster was subbed-off and heavily strapped by the medical team after a collision with Mafoumbi.
Rayners, though, proved to be the perfect replacement for Foster, coming off the bench to score Bafana’s fifth goal after intercepting Mafoumbi’s poor clearance.
Williams pulled off some delightful saves to keep a ‘home clean sheet’ towards the end, but, boy, the day undoubtedly belonged to Mokoena.