RESPECT FOR HLOMPHO KEKANA... and another chance for Bafana to restore South Africa's pride

MARK GLEESON, a man who knows something about South African football, described it as “the best goal Bafana Bafana have ever scored.”

I took the 2m tall SuperSport commentator to his first professional football game as a journalist in 1985 in Durban - at Glebelands in Umlazi. We’ve seen a lot of goals, but Hlompho Kekana’s 65m effort against Cameroon deserved to win ANY game.

Sadly, it didn’t. Cameroon came back from Tokelo Rantie’s excellent early strike in Limbe and then, after the shock of Kekana’s wonder goal, they did it again to ensure the Lions remain Indomitable at home.

The strike...

Tonight at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, Shakes Mashaba’s men - the first side to take points off Cameroon in Group M - get another chance to save some pride in what has been a disastrous AFCON 2017 qualifying campaign.

Two points from three games - after a home draw against little Gambia and that awful defeat in Mauritania - means qualification for Gabon next year is highly unlikely.

But a win tonight might just open the door a crack, assuming both Cameroon (seven points) and Mauritania (six points) slip up badly on the run in. Only the Group M leaders qualify for AFCON 2017 - along with the best two runners-up out of 13.

Even if they win ALL of their last three qualifiers, Bafana can only reach 11 points. Like their cricketing cousins, South Africa’s footballers appear to have choked in what looked a reasonable qualifying group.

Kekana himself, picked by Gordon Igesund for the national team in the 0-0 draw against New Zealand two years ago, refuses to be downhearted as videos of his Beckhamesque goal flash around the globe.

He says: “We should not be where we are at the moment. We know how important the points are in this group and if we have to start collecting them.

...the goal...

“The Durban match a very crucial one. A win there will enhance our chances and we know we are very capable of doing that, we just need to apply ourselves a little better and try to minimise mistakes.”

Of THAT goal, Kekana grins:  “I always check how the keeper leaves his line when they are attacking. This started at Sundowns training four months back.

“After we dispossesed Cameroon I looked up and saw the keeper well off his line and I took a chance, thankfully it went in.

“I was very excited - I’ve been trying to score goals like that at Sundowns but I couldn’t. At training I would hit more than ten balls with none going in and it was frustrating.

“But when the goals come in a match of the calibre against Cameroon it always bring joy – and not only to me but to my teammates and the entire country which shows just how much the goals means to everyone, not just to me. So this goal is for them.

...the celebration

"Saturday in Limbe was a very tactical match; both teams had an attacking mind. It’s a game we thought we will win but it wasn’t to be.

"We gave away the lead too easily but then again a point away from home is also welcome, but we know we could have done better. But hey this is Cameroon we are talking about here; few teams can achieve what we have done.

"We really have to win on Tuesday night, we have no more options left as we are left with nine points to play for seeing that we only have two after three matches. Three points will take us closer to the leaders with two matches remaining and we have to fight. I believe in this team and still think that we stand a chance of going to Gabon."

With any luck Kekaha can produce another wonder goal tonight. And Tokelo Rantie showed on Saturday he can score in Africa despite being ejected from Bournemouth's Premier League squad.

Three points won’t solve Mashaba’s problems but it will certainly go some way towards restoring South Africa’s footballing pride.

Jabulani Shongwe's CRACKER for Wits against Moroka Swallows tonight

Here it is, Jabulani Shongwe's curling beauty for Bidvest Wits tonight, courtesy of SuperSport... the first goal in an emphatic 3-0 Telkom KO first round triumph over Moroka Swallows on a chilly spring night at Milpark.


Hit from distance on the run, Birds goalkeeper Sage Stephens had no chance as Shongwe launched in to a huge celebratory routine.


But the top class goals didn't end there. Buhle Mkhwanazi scored a neat near-post header to register his first goal as a professional following his summer move from AmaTuks and Vincent Pule added a lovely far post volley from Sameehg Doutie's perfect cross.

What a weekend: THAT Mor Diouf video, the Q3 table, Stuart Baxter... and Gavin Hunt

Here it is, the Q3 table as it stands right NOW. Kaizer Chiefs won Q1, Platinum Stars took Q2. Chiefs are clearly favourites for the third cheque of R1.5m.

But look at Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits... and even AmaZulu, who are out of the relegation zone in the overall PSL table for the first time this season.

Sadly, life in Cape Town remains gloomy, with Chippa United and Ajax joining plunging Leopards in the bottom three.



1 Kaizer Chiefs 6 4 2 0 10 3 7 14
2 Moroka Swallows 6 3 2 1 9 6 3 11
3 Supersport United 6 3 2 1 5 3 2 11
4 Bidvest Wits 6 3 2 1 8 7 1 11
5 AmaZulu 6 3 2 1 4 3 1 11
6 Orlando Pirates 5 3 1 1 7 4 3 10
7 Bloemfontein Celtic 6 2 3 1 8 6 2 9
8 Free State Stars 6 2 2 2 7 5 2 8
9 Platinum Stars 6 2 1 3 7 6 1 7
10 Golden Arrows 6 2 1 3 5 6 -1 7
11 Mamelodi Sundowns 6 1 3 2 5 4 1 6
12 Maritzburg United 6 1 2 3 4 8 -4 5
13 University Of Pretoria 6 0 4 2 4 7 -3 4
14 Chippa United 6 1 1 4 5 10 -5 4
15 Black Leopards 6 1 1 4 6 12 -6 4
16 Ajax Cape Town 5 0 3 2 4 8 -4 3

These important provisos from the ever-efficient Luxolo September, PSL media manager:

- Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates has NOT been included because it is a Q4 match brought forward.

- Q3 will only be complete when postponed matches from this quarter have been played.

Some quotes from Kaizer Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter on SportsTalk last night (www.702.co.za) after the Soweto derby:

“Kingston Nkatha has a bang on his hip, we got him right for the derby but he got another bang on it. Our for at least a week.

“We’re all desperate for success. It’s a bit like Arsenal. We wanted to make this a coaching environment at the club.

“We’ve just finished re-organising the academy and maybe we can get a bit of silverware at the end of the season.

“Kaizer’s ambition is that we will be able to provide for the future from the youth and make one or two marquee signings.

“We have got that sort of talent and we’re hoping to attract it as well.

“We’re gone to have eight cup finals now. We’re hoping to take each one as it comes, prepare meticulously.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to manage players in such difficult circumstances. The hype for this one is world class, even if the game wasn’t!

“I haven’t woken up with one hand on the title. I’ve woken up like a man who wanted three points yesterday!“

And this from Gavin Hunt, in the pub after Mor Diouf's sensational 60-year "Beckham strike won the Tshwane derby:

"When he hit it, I thought: "Where's that going." Then I saw where Wayne (Sandilands, the goalkeeper) was and I started running. I didn't stop. He'll never do that again in his life, I promise you.

"I actually felt sorry for Pitso (Mosimane). They should have had us 5-0 in the first half. I must be going senile, I forgot to make substitutions until half-time. Then we got better."