Bafana Bafana Crush Eritrea 5-0 to Make It Two Wins From Two Under Mosimane
Four days after Pitso Mosimane’s winning return against Guinea, Bafana Bafana delivered an even more emphatic statement — a 5-0 demolition of Eritrea at Cairo’s Al-Salam Stadium in their second 2027 AFCON qualifier. Relebohile Mofokeng scored a brilliant first-half brace, with Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh completing the rout after the break. It stands as South Africa’s biggest-ever away win in AFCON qualifying history, surpassing a 4-0 win over Gambia from 2016.
The result gives Bafana a perfect six points from two matches, putting them firmly atop Group D, where only the group winner joins co-hosts Kenya at next year’s tournament. The match also marked South Africa’s 500th international appearance since their 1992 return to international football, and their first-ever meeting with Eritrea. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was called on repeatedly to preserve the clean sheet, denying Eritrea on several occasions as the hosts grew increasingly frustrated.
Two matches into Mosimane’s second spell, the pattern worth watching isn’t the scorelines — it’s who’s scoring. Against Guinea it was two defenders; against Eritrea it was a 21-year-old attacking midfielder finding career-best form. If Mofokeng keeps producing performances like this, Bafana’s qualifying campaign stops being about whether they can win games and starts being about how comfortably.
Quick facts:
- Bafana beat Eritrea 5-0, their biggest-ever AFCON qualifying away win
- Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice; four different players found the net
- South Africa now have 6 points from 2 matches, top of Group D
- Match marked South Africa’s 500th international since 1992
Is Relebohile Mofokeng now South Africa’s most important player heading into this AFCON cycle? Make your case.
