South Africa coach Helman Mkhalele was satisfied with the outcome of their 1-1 draw against Mozambique in their Group A opener of the 23rd edition of the COSAFA Cup at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The much-anticipated battle between the two Southern Africa neighbours ended in a 1-1 draw after neither team could find the decisive winning goal. It was clear from the start of the match that the home side wanted to take control of the game as they almost hit the back of the net just three minutes into the game.

The hosts were presented with a number of opportunities in the opening half and finally utilized them after captain Rushwin Dortley hit the back of the net in the 39th minute.

Mkhalele said he was very proud of the way his boys performed, even though they only went into camp a few days before the start of the tournament.

“I’m proud of my team and the performance they gave, even though we did not get the result we aspired to achieve. During the first half we dominated, even though we created clear chances but could not take advantage of that situation,” he said.

Mozambique came into the game looking for a win, but coach Victor Matine said he was happy with the result and the attitude of his players. “I am so happy because the players tried to do what we trained for, and we told them to have confidence in this game, and to respect South Africa. But you must be competitive, and we did it in the second half,” he said.

Bafana Bafana will next face Botswana in their second Group A match on Saturday.