In a Cosafa Cup match on Tuesday night at the Princess Magogo Stadium, South Africa defeated Eswatini 2-1 to advance to the regional competition’s semifinals.

When Bongwa Matsebula of Sihlangu Semnikati gave his team the lead early in the second half, Bafana Bafana appeared to be in trouble.

However, a late brace from substitute Tshegofatso Mabasa helped the team finish first in Group A with a total of seven points.

The best runner-up, who is expected to be Zambia (or perhaps Mauritius or Lesotho, depending on Wednesday’s Group C results), will meet the tournament hosts in the second semifinal on Friday.

Read Also:COSAFA CUP: Flames Overshadows Comoros To Reach Semi Finals

In the opening 45 minutes, clear opportunities were few and far between as neither team was able to mount effective attacks.

The host team’s greatest effort came from a set piece late in the half when Lyle Lakay blasted a shot off target direct from a free kick. South Africa string together several promising passing combinations, but they frequently broke down in the final third.

With Melulen Mkhonto serving as a mobile spearhead, Eswatini on the other hand, were dangerous in transition.

A few minutes before halftime, Bongwa Matsebula had their finest attempt of the opening half, shooting narrowly wide after latching onto a loose ball in the penalty area.

Sihlangu made a strong start to the second half and rightfully took the lead in the 51st minute when Matsebula brutally capitalised on a defensive blunder by Keegan Allan by smashing a left-footed volley under the crossbar.

Victor Letsoalo had a fantastic opportunity as Allan attempted to quickly atone for his mistake, but the striker missed the target with his shot.

Bafana Bafana came within a whisker of tying the score on the 67th minute when Iqraam Rayners cut inside a defender before shooting narrowly wide. The home team then made three substitutions, bringing on Tebogo Tlolane, Tshegofatso Mabasa, and Shaune Mogaila.

In the 77th minute, Mabasa pounced on a loose ball outside the box’s “D” and scored with a left-footed shot to tie the score at 1-1, though Eswatini custodian Mathabela Sandanezwe really ought to have stopped the attempt.

Mabasa scored again for South Africa in the 88th minute, sliding onto Rayners’ assist and steering a shot past the goalkeeper for a 2-1 score as they continued to exert themselves in the game.

Bafana Bafana comfortably finished the game and made it to the final four.