Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund was delighted with his side's 'brilliant' performance after they dispatched Angola 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.
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The host nation entered the tie having failed to score in four of their last five matches, including this year's AFCON opener against Cape Verde on Saturday, but Siyabonga Sangweni and Lehlohonolo Majoro were able to find the target against the Leopards to go top of Group A.
After bluntly dismissing an opening question regarding their opening day draw, Igesund was more open to talking about this week's clash, and was pleased with what he saw from his players.
On fielding a more attacking side, he revealed: "I said after our last game that this game (against Angola) was a must win. But I felt I had to gamble, I couldn't be scared to lose. I told the players we couldn't be scared to lose and they responded."
The head coach was also full of praise for the home fans, saying: "First of all I want to thank the wonderful crowd. From the first whistle it made the difference, and it's just what we needed."
When asked about the difference in approach from their opener against the Blue Sharks, Igesund said: "The Cape Verde game was different, we didn't have the commitment, that was the big difference.
"We had to just go for it. I told the players to believe, I told them I believe in them. I was confident the back-four could do the job, and they did."
The former Moroka Swallows coach cut an animated figure on the sideline throughout the game, even at 2-0 up, but the 56-year-old feels that even with such a comfortable lead, anything in football is possible.
"This game is a strange game; you can be 2-0 up and they score, and all of a sudden they're back in it, but we were magnificent. I want to say to the whole team, every one who went out there today did brilliantly."
Having entered the tie with such a poor scoring record, the two goals came as a much needed remedy, following intense pressure from the media over their goal drought.
"The criticism was deserved. We weren't scoring goals, but we just have to bounce back, These situations make us stronger," he said.
"When we scored I was very happy, because we're a tough team to beat. We kept a clean sheet last week, today, and we're looking forward to the next game (against Morocco).
However, the coach refused to get too carried away with the result, adding: "We don't want to get too excited, we just want to see the result (in Wednesday's other Group A clash between Morocco and Cape Verde) before we start looking ahead."
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COUNCIM01
"sphiwe tshabalala and katlego mphela must sit on the bench for ever.they are spoiling everything .FURMAN IS COMFOTABLE WITH JULY MAHLANGU."
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