Sports
Int’l Friendlies: S’Africa Seeks Fresh Start After AFCON Woes
Ephraim Mashaba will
hope for signs of a new beginning when South Africa takes on Swaziland, a side he used to coach, in today’s friendly in Mbabane, though not everyone is happy with his squad selection.
It will be Bafana Bafana’s first match since suffering a group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they failed to win a match.
Mashaba, who took over in July 2014, saw his side endure a disappointing campaign in Equatorial Guinea, which yielded only a draw against Senegal from three Group C matches.
That was in stark contrast to a qualifying campaign, overseen in its entirety by Mashaba, in which South Africa emerged from a tough group unbeaten, earning a draw away to Nigeria that denied the Super Eagles a spot at the tournament.
Mashaba was in charge of Swaziland, now ranked 163rd in the world, from 2008 to 2010, when wins over minnows Seychelles and Comoros punctuated an otherwise poor set of results.
He has come under fire for his squad picks for the matches against Swaziland and Nigeria, who they face four days later in Nelspruit, with suggestions some players were included under the instruction of South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan.
It is a notion dismissed by the coach, whose 30-man squad includes the uncapped trio of Lebogang Phiri, Thabo Mnayane and Cole Alexander.
But it was the inclusion of Thulani Serero, that prompted questions over the selection policy.
The foursome had previously been told their international careers were over. Serero was omitted from the squad that went to the AFCON, Mahlangu was banned indefinitely after pulling out of the qualifiers, Patosi was left out after missing his flight for a match against Sudan, and Mokotjo was dismissed by the coach as being too “heavy and sluggish”.
Swaziland coach Harries Bulunga’s squad features nine players from the Royal Leopards team that recently knocked South African club Bidvest Wits out of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Bulunga will be looking for a string of good results from his team as they gear up for their upcoming appearance in the COSAFA Senior Cup and he looks to get the National Football Association of Swaziland to extend his contract beyond July 31.
Kylian Mbappe scored a stoppage-time penalty to seal Real Madrid’s win against nine-man Rayo Vallecano, after Jude Bellingham was forced off with injury.
Nobel Mendy’s foul on Brahim Diaz in the 100th minute gave Mbappe the chance to put Real to within one point of Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
Vinicius Jr had opened the scoring for Real early on, a few minutes after Bellingham went off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
Rayo Vallecano fought back, and levelled just after the break through Jorge de Frutos.
Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga hit the woodwork for Real, while Vallecano were reduced to 10 men with 10 minutes of normal time to go when Pathe Cisse was shown a straight red card for a crude challenge on Dani Cebellos.
The home fans had been agitated at times before Mbappe scored from the spot, and there was time for more drama when Pep Chavarria was shown a second yellow card and dismissed in the 103rd minute.
Bellingham was distraught when he fell to the ground clutching the back of his left thigh after 10 minutes, but the England international was seen to be walking unaided shortly afterwards.
Vinicius Junior struck soon after Bellingham’s exit, curling in a sublime shot after cutting in from the left flank but Real fans grew restless as Vallecano grew in confidence with Chavarria lashing a shot over the bar just before half-time.
De Frutos equalised with a clinical finish, sweeping in a knock-down from Alvaro Garcia with a first-time shot and Thibault Courtois stopped Vallecano taking the lead when he used his feet to save from Andrei Ratiu.
Mbappe seemed set to score when he went around Augusto Batalla after the Vallecano keeper had moved out of his penalty area, but the Real striker’s shot hit the bar.
Cisse was shown the red card after he caught Cebello on the left ankle, and Real went close to taking the lead again when Camavinga’s header struck the post.
Real’s late pressure seemed to be for nothing until Mendy caught Diaz high up, giving Mbappe the chance to strike for his 22nd goal in La Liga.
Chavarria received his second yellow card, for a push on Rodrygo, just before full-time as Real claimed their sixth straight win in La Liga while Vallecano remained just one point and a place above the relegation zone.
Hugo Ekitike turned the game on its head to stun former suitors Newcastle United as champions Liverpool recorded their first Premier League win of 2026.
Newcastle attempted to sign Ekitike in three transfer windows over the course of three and a half years, and how the visitors rued losing out to Liverpool in the race to recruit the lethal striker from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer.
After scoring in the reverse fixture in August, the Frenchman came back to haunt Eddie Howe’s side once again at a buoyant Anfield with two goals in two minutes before half-time.
Anthony Gordon had initially opened the scoring for Newcastle with a fine finish, but Liverpool quickly showed their powers of recovery to go on and win the game comfortably thanks to a devastating double from Ekitike, a well-taken goal from Florian Wirtz and a close-range finish from an emotional Ibrahima Konate.
Ten-man Brentford claimed a brilliant win at Aston Villa yesterday to dent the hosts’ Premier League title ambitions.
Dango Ouattara’s fine strike stunned Villa minutes after Kevin Schade was sent off for pushing his studs into Matty Cash’s midriff.
The returning Tammy Abraham had a goal disallowed as Villa lost successive home league games for the first time in two years.
They remain third in the table, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, while Keith Andrews’ Brentford sit seventh, four points adrift of the top five.
Striker Schade’s dismissal looked to have given Villa control, only for Ouattara to find the top corner.
Abraham thought he levelled three minutes into the second half after Caoimhin Kelleher parried Jadon Sancho’s strike, only for the goal to be ruled out – after a four-minute video assistant referee (VAR) review – as the ball went out before Villa attacked.
But there were no late heroics as Brentford defended valiantly to hold on for a deserved and impressive victory.
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