FIFA series: Andorra hold South Africa to one-all stalemate

The South African team had wholesale changes in their 1-1 draw against Andorra at 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba, Algeria on Thursday night.

Hugo Broos’ team had a rough start in the first match of the inaugural Fifa Series when Ricardo Goss’ unfortunate goalkeeping mistake allowed Ricard Fernandez to break the deadlock just five minutes into the game.

Despite the setback, the South Africans sought to recover, with their best opportunity arising after 18 minutes when Thapelo Morena’s impressive shot was thwarted by goalkeeper Josep Gomes.

With relentless pressure, debutant Elias Mokwana managed to score a remarkable equaliser in the 25th minute, injecting renewed energy into the visiting team. South Africa had several opportunities to add more goals, but they entered halftime deadlocked at 1-1.

Bafana looked to take the lead early in the second half, but their opportunities were squandered as Andorra’s defence held strong, preventing the South Africans from scoring.

With the match ending in a 1-1 draw after 94 minutes of play, coach Broos will return to the drawing board in preparation for their upcoming match against Algeria on Tuesday, March 26th.