The Bafana Bafana of South Africa were once again left ruing their lack of cutting edge in front of goal as they played out a goalless stalemate against Eswatini at the First National Bank Stadium.
Hugo Broos' men were huge favourites to get the job done on home turf but failure to find the back of the net for the second time in three matches saw them settle for a share of the spoils.
'Frustration and anger,' – Bafana coach Hugo Broos after disappointing 0-0 friendly draw with Eswatini. pic.twitter.com/bUNr5FqBm2
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) October 13, 2023
The Bafana Bafana kicked off the contest on the front foot and had the game's first opportunity through Themba Zwane who dragged his effort wide after some nice work to play him in.
Fresh off the back of his fifth goal of the campaign at club level, Mihlali Mayambela retained his place in the starting lineup and came close to justifying his manager's faith in him but for some excellent save from Khanyakwezwe Shabalala.
Having been a peripheral figure for the opening exchanges of the game, in-form Burnley forward Lyle Forster had his first crack at goal 10 minutes shy of the interval. However, his effort was comfortably dealt with.
Frustrated by a first-half performance which saw them dominate all to no avail, the Bafana Bafana rang the changes at half-time with both Zwane and Mayambela coming off for Mduduzi Mdantsane and Bongokuhle Hlongwane respectively.
Looking to make an instant impact, Mdantsane stung the palms of Shabalala, who continued to enjoy a fine afternoon in the Eswatini goal.
As the second half progressed, so did Eswatini's confidence as Dominic Kunene's men started to believe that they could spring an upset.
However, neither team was able to find the all-important breakthrough at the end of what turned out to be a very drab affair.
South Africa vs Eswatini: Bafana Bafana maintain unbeaten run
While South Africa will be disappointed not to have seen off the threat of Eswatini, the Bafana Bafana can take solace from the fact that they are now unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions.
𝗕𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗔 𝗙𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗘𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗜
A toothless Bafana Bafana side were held to a goalless draw by eSwatini at FNB Stadium on Friday evening, making it 10 games without a defeat under Hugo Broos. pic.twitter.com/JA2k83YRHg
— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) October 13, 2023
Since losing to Morocco in their opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, South Africa have won six and drawn four of the subsequent 10 matches with a 2-1 win over Morocco back in June undeniably the standout result.
South Africa will now turn their attention to a heavyweight meeting against Ivory Coast on Sunday and Hugo Broos' side have work to do to preserve their unbeaten streak.
This weekend's meeting against the Elephants of Ivory Coast will be the last involvement for the Bafana Bafana before they kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Benin Republic in November.
This article was most recently revised and updated 12 months ago
