Tactical triumph: How Khumalo’s plan secured Bafana’s COSAFA Cup final berth

Bafana Bafana’s impressive 3-1 victory over Comoros in the COSAFA Cup semi-final was no accident, it was the direct result of the precise execution of coach Vela Khumalo’s game plan.

From the first whistle, South Africa followed Khumalo’s directive to secure an early goal and unsettle their opponents, a strategy that ultimately paved their way to the COSAFA Cup final.

The semifinal encounter was played at the Free State Stadium on a cold Friday night in Bloemfontein. South Africa started strong, taking an early lead through an own goal by Comoros’ Mohamed Idris.

Boitumelo Radiopane doubled their advantage in the 14th minute. But Comoros’ Madi Ibrahim pulled one back in the 29th minute, injecting some hope. However, Kamogelo Sebelebele sealed the deal for South Africa in the second half, extending their lead to 3-1 and ensuring a comfortable finish.

Khumalo’s men will now take on defending champions Angola in the 2025 COSAFA Cup final on Sunday at 5pm (CAT) at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

Free State Stadium in full voice after South Africa qualified for the final of the COSAFA Cup after beating Comoros 3-1 in the semi-finals on Friday night!!!#BafanaPride @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/vMQw4Iw9T5

— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) June 13, 2025

Angola hammered Madagascar 4-1 in the other semifinal, with Depu netting a brace to become the all-time leading scorer in the COSAFA Cup with 11 goals.

Bafana coach Khumalo revealed his straightforward approach against Comoros: score early and dictate the game.

“We said we are going to play with the two tenths, we are going to play with one top man and we wanted to get the goal so that we can unsettle them and open them because if you look at the teams that we have been playing against, they sit back and then they catch us on set-plays and start a situation,” said Khumalo.

“So in this case, what we said was that let’s get a quick goal, let’s unsettle them, let’s play the ball behind them, but let’s draw them in because they were the main markers. So we said let’s have the two tenths to draw them in, and then we go punch up with the striker.

“It has worked for us, and I’m happy that we scored the goals that we needed this time around.”

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