02/10/2026
Amajita beat Algeria 3-1 at Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium
By Rorisang Rampheteng
Amajita secured a 3-1 victory over Algeria at the Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein after a strong second-half performance saw South Africa turn their chances into goals.
South Africa struggled to convert their opportunities in the first half, but coach Karabo Mogudi’s side returned after the break with greater attacking intensity to claim the win.
“Holistically a very good game. Obviously, I’ll say that because we won 3-1 and winning 3-1 does not mean that we do not look at areas that we can improve on, but generally, I think the boys did well,” Mogudi said.
“It’s just in the first half, we did not finish the chances that we created. In the second half, we changed a few things and those boys did the business and we got the important goals,” he said.
Mogudi said the team’s possession in the opening half helped lay the foundation for the second-half turnaround.
“We must not lose the fact that those boys did well with possession. They made Algeria work hard in chasing the ball,” Mogudi said.
“Maybe the groundwork was done in the first half. So as much as we did not score in the first half, we must not lose sight that we did very well with possession in the first half and that could have been the foundation for what happened in the second half,” he said.
Captain Neo Rapoo also praised Amajita’s response after a difficult opening period.
“Obviously, we had a difficult start. But, you know, we knew that this team wasn’t going to beat us, and we just needed to gel more,” Rapoo said.
“We created a lot of chances, and we just had to put them in the back of the net and just keep going at them,” he said.
Rapoo also spoke about the significance of playing in front of home supporters in Bloemfontein.
“Coming back at home, playing in front of those supporters, and I know, given they were singing for me after the game, it was just heartwarming,” Rapoo said.
Mogudi said the match was an important preparation opportunity ahead of the team’s upcoming international commitments.
“We are happy for these preparation games. They’ll prepare us for the next qualifier that’s coming in the next international window,” Mogudi said.
With another match scheduled for Sunday, Mogudi said squad rotation would be important as the technical team looks to give more players an opportunity.
“It’s important that everyone gets minutes. Our goalkeepers also need minutes, so everyone must get minutes,” he said.
📸 Bongani Hlatswayo
