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BUSINESS NEWS - Bafana Bafana got its bid for a second African Nations Cup (AFCON) title back on track with an emphatic 4-0 Group E victory against local rivals Namibia at the Ivory Coast's Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on Sunday. 

In what was a must-win fixture following its 0-2 defeat against favourites Mali in the group opener last Tuesday, South Africa did not disappoint against its lower-ranked opposition.

Bafana Bafana gave a much-improved display compared to its performance against Mali, but the Namibians also didn't provide the same resistance either. With Mali only mustering a draw against Tunisia a day earlier, despite dominating the match, Group E remains wide open with any of the four nations still able to qualify.

Based on performances and the odds on offer through the best betting apps in South Africa, Mali is favoured to progress to the next round. The Bafana Bafana (13/5) match against Tunisia (13/10) will likely decide the other Group E qualifier, with the Tunisians favoured to advance. Fans in South Africa looking to place bets on the team at AFCON can do so quickly and easily by using the online betting apps available. And, according to Lee Bassin, there are plenty of options through which do so: "In the last six years, there has been a huge increase in smartphone usage in South Africa, opening up enormous opportunities for the sport-loving population of the Rainbow Nation to gamble on-the-go using free betting apps on their phones" (source: https://sportslens.com/za/betting-apps/). 

Revisiting Bafana Bafana's last match, it didn't take the team long to open the scoring against Namibia. 

After the VAR monitor at the pitchside confirmed a Riaan Hanamub handball in the Namibian area, Percy Tau made no mistake with the resulting penalty, giving South Africa a deserved 14th-minute lead.

Tau had missed an all-important spot kick in South Africa's slender opening defeat, but the Al Ahly striker showed no sign of nerves as he cooly slotted the penalty into the corner of the net. Thapelo Morena, promoted to the starting line-up after the Mali loss, had created havoc for the Namibians down the right from the start of the game, and his cross created Bafana's second goal.

The recipient of a perfect ball from Morena in the 25th minute was 34-year-old Themba Zwane, once dubbed "too old" by South Africa's Belgian coach Hugo Broos. The attacking midfielder's international revival, brought on by exceptional performances for Mamelodi Sundowns, gained further impetus in the 25th minute as he met Morena's cross with his right boot and slammed it into the top of the net.

At 2-0, South Africa was cruising, but Zwane wasn't done. Playing for his country for the 39th time, 'Mshishi' scored his second goal, and Bafana's third, in the 40th minute with a solid strike across Namibian keeper Lloyd Kazapua from the left.

With South Africa 3-0 up at the interval, Namibia was all but beaten. The Brave Warriors lived up to their name by keeping the ball well, although a naivete in attack was evident through constant offsides. With only a single shot on target compared to Bafana's eight, the Namibians were outplayed. 

One of South Africa's eight shots resulted in a fourth goal 30 minutes into the second half. This time, Thapelo Maseko, who had replaced his Sundowns teammate Zwane earlier, expertly controlled a long pass before finishing beyond a desperate Kapuza, who managed to glove the ball on its way past.

With a similar performance against Tunisia, South Africa could find itself in the second round and a step closer to that elusive second AFCON title.

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