Bafana Bafana beat Eritrea 5-0 at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday night, with Relebohile Mofokeng scoring twice, to make it two wins from two in AFCON 2027 qualifying. Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh added second-half goals as Pitso Mosimane’s side answered his warning about complacency in the clearest way possible.
How the goals came
Mofokeng opened the scoring in the 19th minute, from an Oswin Appollis assist. South Africa had most of the ball from the start and kept Eritrea pinned back, and Mofokeng doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time.
The second half settled it quickly. Sithole made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, and Rayners added the fourth just after the hour. Luther Singh completed the scoring in stoppage time. Eritrea’s best moment came midway through the second half, when Ronwen Williams made a sharp save to keep the clean sheet.
A warning heeded
Mosimane had spent the build-up warning his players not to underestimate Eritrea. “You can’t give respect to Guinea and not accord the same to an Eritrea side that just claimed a point away from home in Kenya,” he told SAFA before the match. Eritrea had drawn 1-1 with Kenya in Nairobi on Saturday, the same afternoon Bafana beat Guinea 2-1 at Orlando Stadium through goals from Ime Okon and Kabini.
The home side were playing in Egypt because Eritrea do not have a CAF-accredited stadium, and Mosimane, who won two CAF Champions League titles with Al Ahly, had asked Egyptian supporters to come out and back South Africa. On the pitch, his players made sure the night never became a contest.
What Mosimane said
“It was a good performance from our boys and they showed respect also,” Mosimane told SAFA after the match. “They showed respect to the opponents but also played proper football. We are very happy.”
Eritrea coach Hesham Yakan was frank about the gap: “We faced a team that is classified as a top 5 team in Africa, it was difficult.”
The team Mosimane picked
Without Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba, both injured in Saturday’s win over Guinea, Mosimane made the changes that were expected. Samukele Kabini started in the back line in place of Modiba, and Bathusi Aubaas and Sithole started together in midfield.
South Africa starting XI: Ronwen Williams, Ime Okon, Olwethu Makhanya, Samukele Kabini, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Sphephelo Sithole, Bathusi Aubaas, Relebohile Mofokeng, Oswin Appollis, Thapelo Maseko, Iqraam Rayners.
Olwethu Makhanya was the only player booked, in the 33rd minute.
What it means
The midfield question was the big one before kick-off. Losing Teboho Mokoena took away Bafana’s main ball-winner, and a new pairing had to control a match against a side that had held Kenya in Nairobi. Aubaas and Sithole did more than control it. Sithole scored, and South Africa had the game won within an hour.
Mofokeng was the difference. His first goal settled any early nerves, and his second, just before the break, took the sting out of the night. It was the kind of performance that makes him hard to leave out of the starting side.
The result gives Bafana Bafana six points from their first two matches. With Kenya already through to the finals as co-hosts, the race for a place at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 is effectively between South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea. Two wins from two, with a five-goal margin in Cairo, puts South Africa in a strong position before the return fixtures.
What comes next
Bafana stay in Cairo for a friendly against Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday 4 October. It is a sterner test than tonight, against one of the continent’s strongest sides, and it gives Mosimane a chance to look at players on the fringe of the squad before the next qualifying window.
Mokoena and Modiba are receiving treatment with the squad, but their chances of playing on Sunday were described as slim before tonight’s match.
Match facts
- Result: Eritrea 0, South Africa 5
- Competition: AFCON 2027 qualifier, Group D
- Venue: Al-Salam Stadium, Cairo
- Date: Wednesday 30 September 2026
- Scorers: Mofokeng 19′, 45+1′, Sithole 52′, Rayners 62′, Singh 90+’
- Booking: Makhanya 33′ (South Africa)
Sources used
- https://www.safa.net/general-news/clinical-bafana-put-eritrea-to-the-sword-in-cairo/ (checked 05:08 SAST, 1 October): FINAL 5-0, Singh stoppage-time goal, Rayners 62′, Mofokeng 45+1′, Mosimane and Yakan quotes
- https://briefly.co.za/sports/football/254708-bafana-bafana-thrash-eritrea-5-0-cairo-claim-points-afcon-2027-qualifying/ (checked 05:08 SAST, 1 October): 5-0, all five scorers
- https://www.news24.com/sport/soccer/bafana-bafana-and-banyana-banyana/live-afcon-qualifiers-eritrea-v-bafana-bafana-20260930-0866 (checked 20:00 SAST, live page, had not yet shown the fifth goal): 0-4 at that point, scorers and minutes, starting XI, Makhanya booking, Williams save
- https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/articles/live-blog-eritrea-vs-south-africa-in-the-qualifiers-of-afcon-2027-2026-09-30 (checked 20:00 SAST): 0-4, scorers and minutes, Appollis assist
- https://farpost.co.za/2026/09/29/teboho-mokoena-and-modiba-ruled-out-of-bafanas-eritrea-clash/ (checked 10:38 SAST): Mokoena and Modiba out, treatment, slim chances for Egypt
- fact base v0.2.1: Kenya co-hosts, Egypt friendly 4 October at Cairo International Stadium