Soccer
Bafana breeze past Benin in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers─── MORGAN PIEK 07:44 Wed, 26 Mar 2025
Bafana Bafana secured a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier victory at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday night.
South Africa beat Benin 2-0, moving up to 13 points in Group C and strengthening their position to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, while Jayden Adams doubled the lead in the 83rd minute with a powerful header from a set-piece perfectly delivered by Oswin Appollis.
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?? ????: Jayden Adams has doubled Bafana Bafana's lead against Benin!
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?? https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball #FIFAWCQ pic.twitter.com/dk8n9wMvUD— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) March 25, 2025The victory means South Africa have now collected six points from their last two matches, having also beaten Lesotho 2-0 in Polokwane last week.
Throughout the match, South Africa dominated possession and were rarely troubled in defence. Bafana also created several goal-scoring opportunities and capitalised at the right moments.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos credited their success to thorough preparation, which helped them take control against a tricky opponent.
“I think, first of all, we did a good analysis of the opponent,” said Broos. “Secondly, I think the players executed what we asked of them. We knew where we could be dangerous against this Benin team.
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?? ????: Lyle Foster gets an opener for Bafana Bafana against Benin!
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“They are a good side, but we did well to keep possession and wait for the right moments. In the first half, we had some chances, but in the second half, things became easier.”
The veteran Belgian coach added that his team’s dominance justified the three valuable points.
“We could have scored a second goal earlier, and I told my assistant on the bench that if we scored once, we would win the game – and that’s exactly what happened,” Broos added.
“We dominated the game, and I think we fully deserved the victory.”
In Tuesday’s other Group C fixtures, Nigeria and Zimbabwe played to a 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. While at Stade Amahoro in Kigali, Rwanda and Lesotho played to a 1-1 draw.
Bafana will face Lesotho and Nigeria in September for their upcoming qualifiers. The match against the Super Eagles is expected to be played in Bloemfontein, although this is yet to be confirmed by the South African Football Association.
