Bafana Bafana midfielder Dean Furman admits that the incredible support his team received from the Durban crowd played a big role in their Africa Cup of Nations victory over Angola on Wednesday.
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After a particularly tepid opening performance against Cape Verde in which both coach Gordon Igesund and some of his players admitted that the team froze, the South Africans bounced back in emphatic fashion against the Sable Antelopes as they triumphed 2-0.
Furman, who didn't feature in the opening match, was at the heart of almost everything good that the hosts produced in a showing that saw him named man of the match.
The 25-year-old reveals that the entire team were lifted by the supporters at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
"The support was incredible, you could feel it as you were playing - the crowd just kept pushing us on," he commented after the match.
"It was the kind of encouragement the players needed, especially as things didn't go the way we wanted them to in the opening game.
"You could hear them getting louder as the game went on and that was motivation enough for the lads to keep their heads down and guarantee the win.
"We're just really happy about the three points, and the way we played to get them."
Bafana Bafana are now in pole position in Group A as the only side to have recorded a win after two rounds of matches. The hosts need only a draw in their final group match against Morocco to ensure their progression into the next phase.
Should they top the group they will return to Durban for their quarter-final clash, something Katlego Mphela is hoping for, with the striker also partial to the Durban faithful.
"I prefer to play in Durban because we seem to do well here. The people really seem to get behind you here so if we can stay here that will be great," he said.
Julia Harris in Durban
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