In-form South Africans prove too hot to handle

THERE were matches aplenty to savour at Belfield yesterday afternoon as the third day of the five-a-side competition drew to a conclusion on the 25 sun-parched pitches at UCD.

Both Irish teams had kicked their last for the day, Ireland (1) having drawn 4-4 with Great Britain (1) in the morning before going down 3-0 to Belarus after lunch, and Ireland (2) being held to a goalless draw by Luxembourg.

So while the choice was unhindered by parochial duty, that meant deciding which contest to watch was at once both a pleasure and an ordeal. Would it be the Middle-Eastern mystery of Azerbaijan versus Iran on pitch four, the clash of Scandinavian cool and Emirate extravagance offered by Iceland and Qatar over on pitch 11 or the girls of Great Britain and the US pitting their skills away in the corner on pitch 18.

In truth, the choice was simple. Jumping out of the fixture list were the names Jamaica and South Africa. The Reggae Boyz versus Bafana Bafana; this would be too good to miss.

And so it proved, with a display of skills, showboating, a great atmosphere and more than a few dodgy tackles. The South Africans, a team that trains diligently together under the direction of coach Stephen Sithole in their home city of Johannesburg, began the day in desperate need of a morale boost. They were beaten twice on Monday, by Israel and Bosnia Herzegovina, but they made amends yesterday by getting off to a flyer and beating Russia 3-2 in the morning.

The taller, stronger Jamaicans, however, having lost their morning game 4-2 to Caribbean neighbours Martinique, rocked the Bafana Bafana back on their heels with the opening goal. It was a lead that was short-lived as South Africa, jolted into action by the one-goal deficit, promptly went up the other end and took it upon themselves to perform a soccer masterclass, rattling in six quick goals before running out 7-2 winners, the final goal slotted home as the Jamaican keeper spilled a low cross and a chorus of “Feelin’ hot! hot! hot!” spread along the touchline.

There was more dancing to come as the final whistle sounded and South African captain Bongani led his team in a song and dance routine worthy of the opening ceremony.

“We’ve had a very good day today,” coach Sithole said of his team, aged between 17 and 27. “We played twice and we won both games so the boys are delighted, having lost twice on Monday.

“We had to win this game, we could not lose it. We really wanted to go to the second round. Now we play Martinique.”

Skipper Bongani was singled out by his coach as man of the match but he was eager to share the praise for his hard-working team.

“We knew if we worked hard,” he said, “we would succeed. And we work hard every day. We train in the morning at six o’clock, every morning in the camp at home and here as well. That’s why we succeeded against Martinique and Jamaica today. I am very happy.”