14 November 2026 – Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane could not hide his disappointment after the South African senior men’s national team was held to 2-2 draw by Kenya in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday night.
The home side appeared to be heading to a hard-fought 2-1 win until Ryan Ogam broke South African hearts when he scored the equaliser in the 89th minute to snatch a share of the spoils right at the death. It was a hard pill to swallow for Mosimane after his charges created a litany of chances that would have been enough to win this game on another day.
“Football tells you that it is not about ball possession, it is not about how many chances you create, it is about the chances you take,” Mosimane said. “Kenya showed that they did not need much to cause an upset. The few chances they got, they used them. If you want to see how many chances we missed, it was a series.”
Bafana Bafana were the first to get their name on the stadium scoreboard after Amos Wanjala scored an own goal to put the hosts in the lead in the eighth minute.
Kenya were awarded a penalty late in the first half and captain Michael Olunga scored from the spot to bring the visitors level in the 42nd minute. Bafana Bafana regained the lead after Relebohile Mofokeng found the back of the net in the 77th minute. The points seemed to be in the bag until Ogam’s late equaliser.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy was satisfied with the outcome.
“In the end, I think it was a deserved draw for both teams. Whoever would have won this game, I do not think that people would have been angry or say one team was lucky. Over 90 minutes, both teams had their moments, both goalkeepers performed and kept their teams in the game,” McCarthy, who celebrated his 49th birthday on Thursday, said.
The South African senior men’s national team remains top of the group with seven points after three games, while rivals Guinea are second with six from the same number of matches. Shortly after the game, Bafana Bafana travelled to Nairobi where they will face the Kenyans in the corresponding qualifier on Tuesday, 17 November 2026.
Source: Original report at SAFA.
