AFCON Qualifiers: Double Braces Seal Win For South Africa As They Beat Sao Tome And Principe 4-2

SAN FRANCISCO, November 16, (THEWILL) – Sao Tome and Principe hosted South Africa on Monday in their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group C return leg qualifier at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth. In a game of double goals for the South African pair of Themba Zwane and Percy Tau, Bayana Bayana ran out 4-2 winners and tied Ghana at the top of the standings in the group on nine points after four matches played.

In a goal-fest of a game, it was the hosts who scored first. With 12 minutes on the clock, Joazhiffel Soares opened the scoring, putting the pressure on the South Africans early into the game. The lead held on for 27 minutes.

Zwane came up with the leveller in the 39th minute when he scored the first of his double for the day. That was how the game was poised for the rest of the first half and the teams went into the break with a goal each.

Sao Tome and Principe began the second half with a substitution. Iniesta was introduced to replace Edmilson Viegas, the striker for the hosts. The action remained in the centre of the park for most of the half as both sides went in search of the lead.

It was the visitors who found the back of the net in the 70th minute. Percy Tau struck for South Africa to register his first goal of the tie. After a pair of substitutions of their own that followed the goal, the game soon balanced out again.

Harramiz put his name in the score sheet when four minutes after the visitors edged ahead, he scored to draw the game level again for the hosts. But, for a sore low point in the match, in the 81st minute defender Ivonaldo Dias Mendes earned himself a second yellow and the red card reduced the defensive strength of the Sao Tome and Principe back line.

South Africa took advantage of their strength in number and the defective defence. Six minutes after the red card and they were in the lead once more. Zwane scored to make it 3-2. And soon after, it was 4-2 with Tau adding to his goal earlier in the game for his own brace.

There was not much the hosts could do after that than try not to drown in late goals. The braces of Zwane and Tau were enough to win it for Bayana Bayana.

The result keeps Sao Tome and Principe in the bottom of Group C without a point as they have now lost four matches out of four played. Though they were outplayed for much of the tie, they took their chances as they came and were in the game until that unfortunate red card.

THEWILL hopes they will take consolation in their performance and seek to improve in future.

For South Africa, they go into contention with Ghana for qualification from the group. Although both are tied at the top of the group with nine points each, Ghana still has a game in hand and that may be what decides who wins the group and therefore who qualifies.