500 games, 50 opponents, 50th in FIFA rankings, 5-0: Pitso 2.0 marks Bafana milestone with a 5.0

Ask AI 2minBafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has marked his return to the national team with style as they celebrate milestones with Jingles.

There could hardly have been a more fitting scoreline for Bafana Bafana’s 500th game since their return to international football.

On a night when South Africa celebrated their rise to 50th in the FIFA rankings, faced their 50th different African opponent since readmission in 1992, Relebohile Mofokeng and his teammates delivered a 5-0 victory over Eritrea in Cairo.

And while the statistics provided a neat symmetry to a historic occasion, the latest victory also offered a reminder of just how far Bafana have travelled over the past 34 years.

Their journey began in July 1992, when South Africa returned to international football with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in Durban.

Doctor Khumalo scored the winning penalty that afternoon, with FIVE Kaizer Chiefs players — Khumalo, Neil Tovey, Donald ‘Ace’ Khuse, Fani Madida and Lucas Radebe — featuring in the historic match.

Four years later, Bafana reached the summit of African football.

Mark Williams scored twice in the 1996 AFCON final against Tunisia as South Africa won 2-0 at FNB Stadium to lift their first continental title.

Then came the goal that changed the country’s football history.

Phil Masinga’s famous strike against Congo in 1997 secured Bafana’s qualification for their first FIFA World Cup, sending South Africa to France 1998.

A year later, Benni McCarthy scored Bafana’s first World Cup goal when he found the net against Denmark.

Aaron Mokoena became Bafana’s most-capped player, eventually reaching 107 appearances, while Siphiwe Tshabalala etched his name into World Cup history with that unforgettable strike against Mexico in the opening game of the 2010 tournament.

Now there is a new generation writing its own chapter.

Mofokeng was at the centre of Wednesday’s celebrations, scoring twice as Bafana made it two wins from two in their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

It was particularly significant for the 21-year-old, who had gone 17 appearances without scoring a goal for the national team before finally breaking through in emphatic fashion.

Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh completed the scoring.

The 5-0 victory also ranks among Bafana’s biggest wins in the post-readmission era, making the occasion even more memorable.

From Khumalo’s penalty against Cameroon to Masinga’s strike against Congo, Williams’ AFCON heroics, McCarthy’s World Cup breakthrough, Mokoena’s longevity and Tshabalala’s iconic goal, Bafana’s history has been built on defining moments.

On their 500th game, against their 50th African opponent, the next generation added another.

And perhaps the most fitting part of all was the scoreline.

500 games. 50 opponents. 50th in FIFA rankings. 5-0.

Bafana could hardly have scripted it better.