Themba Zwane nets a brace as Bafana Bafana and Algeria play out six-goal thriller
26th March 2024
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Themba Zwane scored a brace as Bafana Bafana and Algeria played to an entertaining 3-3 draw in their FIFA Series friendly international at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
Hugo Broos made wholesale changes to his starting line-up after the disappointing 1-1 stalemate against Andorra last week and the coach was rewarded with an enterprising display going forward.
Bafana made a good start to the contest and had the home side on the back foot in the opening minutes and should have taken the lead in the third minute but Oswin Appollis saw his attempt from close-range cannon against the woodwork.
Algeria were slowly starting to get into the game and took the lead midway through the first half after when they counter-attacked deep from their own half and caught the visitors' defence napping before Yassine Benzia beat Ronwen Williams.
The visitors though were the better side and deservedly equalised just after the half-hour mark when Zwane tapped in from close-range after a playing a neat one-two with Mihlali Mayambela.
The Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder then scored a brilliant individual effort in stoppage-time of the first half as he picked the ball on the left-hand touchline before cutting in, beating his defender and then unleashing a left-footed curling effort that gave home goalkeeper Moustapha Zeghba no chance.
Bafana were then sloppy as the hosts found the equaliser eight minutes after the interval as Williams gave a the ball away and Yacine Brahimi pounced and then finished.
Broos' charges though showed that the third place finish at last month's African Cup of Nations (AFCON) was no fluke and went ahead again after 66 minutes when substitute Elias Mokwana saw his goal-bound effort deflect off Iqraam Rayners past a diving Zeghba and into the back of the net.
The South Africans were for large parts of the game sloppy in possession and that area came back to bite them as Benzia acrobatically levelled the encounter at 3-3 with 20 minutes remaining.
It was an end-to-end game in the final stages as both teams searched for the winner with Teboho Mokoena drawing a fine save from Zeghba that denied Bafana a fourth goal with two minutes left to play.
