Now for the African Cup of Nations

Just over a year ago, Bafana Bafana became the first host-nation in a Soccer World Cup to be knocked out in the group stage. The national team was ranked 90^th in the world, and because of persistent board-room squabbles, many fans thought that the national team would not  get back to winning ways.

The national football team have now moved up seven places to 39^th in the world, a climb that is largely due to their 1-0 win over reigning African champion Egypt in a 2012 African Nations Cup qualifier in Johannesburg.

“It is exciting that the good we are doing is recognised by Fifa and the world through the rankings. It shows that we as a country are moving in the right direction,” Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane told the Cape Times.

Since the Soccer World Cup, Bafana are unbeaten in all competitive matches – the qualifying matches for next year’s African Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Mosimane’s only defeat in his second stint in charge of the team was at the hands of the USA in an international friendly in Cape Town at the end of last year.

Bafana top Group G and are in good shape to qualify for next year’s African Cup of Nations after failing to make it into the 2010 edition in Angola.

“It’s important to rejoice and bask in the glory of our success, but we should not lose sight of our mission to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup,” Mosimane has said. “Going forward, concentration will be key as many battles are still coming.”

Bafana haven’t lifted any major silverware since annexing the African Nations Cup on home soil in 1996.

Currently, South Africa is the number-5 ranked team in Africa, with Ghana being numero uno on the continent.

The local league

Perhaps the performances by Pirates and Chiefs and their intense wrestling for the Absa Premier Soccer League top-position on the log, contribute to the current strength of Bafana Bafana.

Happy Jele’s superb solo effort in the second half saw Orlando Pirates beat Platinum Stars 2-1 in the Absa Premiership match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.

Consequently, the win sees the Buccaneers back on top of the log-standings.

Both sides started with sustained attacks and that resulted in two early goals.

Pirates were quickest out of the blocks and found the game’s first goal as early as the seventh minute.

Some good work down the left flank by Chiukepo Msowoya allowed him to make his way onto the edge of the box before he supplied a pin-point pass to find Isaac Chansa unmarked only a couple of yards out from goal. All he had to do was side-foot the ball into an empty net and he made no mistake, 1-0. .

Sibusiso Msomi netted from 12 yards out to equalise.

At the start of the second half, however, Pirates did manage to find their second goal and they did so in fantastic fashion.

Four minutes into the second 45 and Jele slammed a goal from 25 yards out after being given the leeway by the defensive player of the Stars.

Chiefs briefly moved to second place on the standing on Saturday thanks to late goals from Jimmy Tau and Knowledge Musona which handed them a 2-0 win over Mpumalanga Black Aces, who were relegated to the second tier of South African football.

Quality goals

What has been impressive the past few weeks is  the quality of some goals in the Absa Premiership competition, and three brilliant examples were Jele’s goal, the fleet-footed efforts of Thulani Serero for Ajax and the magnificent brace last week by Siphiwe Tshabalala for Kaizer Chiefs.

It was the lack of top-class strikers and top-class goal-scoring that was bemoaned by Carlos Alberto Parreira in 2010 shortly before the World Cup. Parreira, at the time coach of Bafana Bafana, said South African soccer needs to improve the quality of the execution and the ability to keep the ball for long periods.

Both these facets of play have improved lately, although, technically, Bafana were  still well below par in terms of keeping possession during their match against Egypt.

Sure they ultimately won through a superb goal, but if they can string together more secure and precise passes, they could feature strongly during the African Cup of Nations in 2012, especially with Tshabalala and other fine attacking players at their disposal.

With three rounds to go in the Absa Premiership, it looks like a three-horse race between Ajax, Pirates and Chiefs, with the first two teams, Ajax and Pirates, fancied to battle it out for line honours.

But Mamelodi Sundowns, on 51 points after 26 games, would have something to say about that. Chiefs, on 53 points, have played one game more than Sundowns. Ajax and Pirates have both 56 points after 27 games, with Pirates placed on top thanks to a superior goal difference.