The 2025 COSAFA Cup has been a rollercoaster journey for Bafana Bafana. Still, with renewed hope, they are set to face Group D winners Comoros in the semi-finals on Friday at Free State Stadium (starting at 6pm).
Despite a shaky start, the South African side is eager to reclaim its spot at the top of regional football, aiming for a sixth title in this tournament.
Bafana Bafana’s path to the semi-finals has not been without its challenges. After a disappointing 0-1 loss to Mozambique in their opening match, the team, coached by Veli Khumalo, rallied back with a commanding 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe. They followed up with a resilient 0-0 draw against Mauritius, which secured their progression from Group A.
With four points under their belt, they finished atop the group, demonstrating their capacity to bounce back from adversity.
On the other hand, Comoros enters this clash with momentum and confidence. Despite being the third smallest country in Africa by area and having a population of less than a million, they have proven to be a formidable opponent. Under coach Hamada Jambay, Comoros topped Group D and delivered an impressive performance by defeating previous winners, Zambia, 1-0, before neutralising Botswana in a goalless draw to confirm their place in the semi-finals.
Bafana Bafana will aim to return to the COSAFA Cup final for the first time since 2021 and also to affirm their dominance in the competition. While they have never faced Comoros in this tournament, historical encounters during CHAN qualification in 2022 saw South Africa edge through with a 1-0 aggregate victory over two legs.
However, with Comoros’ evident growth, marked by their qualification for the AFCON in 2021 and their fourth-place finish in the 2024 COSAFA Cup, this encounter promises to be their most challenging yet.
Comoros’ assertive defensive performance, with the unique distinction of being the only team yet to concede in this year’s competition, stands as a significant threat to Bafana Bafana’s attacking ambitions. This solid rear-guard will undoubtedly test the South African side’s mettle and ingenuity.
Bafana Bafana striker Boitumelo Radiopane said the team needs to be more clinical in front of goal. Despite topping Group A, Radiopane bemoaned the missed opportunities that could have made their path smoother.
The young striker is confident that the team has learned from those moments and is ready to deliver when they face Comoros.
“We tried every day to finish the chances we get in training because that is where the work starts. I am happy with the group of players that I’m surrounded with because we all want to reach the same goal, which is to win and to win, we must score as many goals as we can,” he said.
“All I can say regarding our decision-making in front of the goals is that we need to be calm and not be selfish at some point, and if I’m not in a good position to score I just have to give it to the next player who is in the better position and to win the game for us. The only way to reward our defence is to score for them because they are doing everything well and everything they can for the opposition not to strike at us”.
