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Impressive: Sebelele scored a brace in a 3-1 win against a stubborn Comoros to secure spot against defending champions Angola on Sunday
By Ali Mphaki
They bemoaned the missed opportunities that could have made their path smoother in this 2025 Cosafa Cup tournament, but the Bafana B squad rose to the occasion on Friday night going on to score three goals as they eliminated Comoros to clinch a spot in the final against Angola on Sunday.
Buoyed by the ever vociferous Bloemfontein partisan crown who braced the chilling weather, the local fans were handsomely rewarded via a goal from Boitumelo Radiopane and a brace from Kamogelo Sebelebele to clinch the match 3-1.
The Comoros were no pushovers and kept on fighting only to find the net once courtesy of a goal from Ibrahim Madi but it was not enough as they once again failed to book a place in the final of the tournament.
Perhaps the major lesson learnt from this tournament is not how you start but finish, seeing that the Bafana B squad stumbled in their first game against Mozambique where they lost 2-1 but went on to record a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe in their second group match and a 0-0 draw by Mauritius at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday afternoon.
The draw was enough to take coach Vela Khumalo’s team to the last four of the tournament and finish at the top of Group A after Zimbabwe beat Mozambique 3-1 in the other group match.
According to the tournament rules, the top teams in each of the four groups advance to the semi-finals, with the winner of Group A to face the top side in Group D, and the leading team in Group B up against the top team in Group C.
In the other semifinal match played earlier on Friday at the same venue, Angola thrashed Madagascar 4-1 with Laurindo Aurelio scoring two goals and Antonio Salvador and Alberto Miguel found the back of the net once.
Holders Angola lead Group B, which also included Namibia, Malawi and Lesotho.
A beaming Bafana B coach Vela Khumalo with a smile as wide as the Orange river could not hide his excitement saying:
“We are going to play a better team in Angola in the final but I am happy that we scored three goals in this match. We have been playing good football and not scoring enough goals.
“There is always room for improvement but I am satisfied that the boys were clinical in this match and we are going to need more of the same in the final against Angola.” A first for this edition of the Cosafa Cup was the use VAR from start to finish, and it would seem this was warmly welcomed by all even if some decisions took long.
COSAFA Executive Director, Sue Destombes, added that the 14-team tournament, just like previous ones, seeks to leave a lasting legacy in the host town of Bloemfontein.
“It is also about the off the field of play, giving back to the communities hosting us through legacy programmes such as coaching, sports administration and management courses, under-15 grassroots football and outreach programmes,” Destombes said.
The final will be staged at the Toyota Stadium with a 15h00 kick-off (13h00 GMT). Losing semi-finalists Madagascar and Comoros will clash for the bronze medal before that at the same venue at 12h00.
