logo
Bafana Bafana target victory against Malawi in CHAN 2025 qualifier

Bafana Bafana target victory against Malawi in CHAN 2025 qualifier

IOL News03-05-2025

Molefi Ntseki Bafana Bafana CHAN coach Molefi Ntseki has emphasised the importance of scoring away from home. Photo: BackpagePix
To qualify for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), Bafana Bafana face the task of securing an aggregate win over Malawi, starting with Saturday's first leg at the Republic Stadium in Lilongwe (3pm kick-off).
Coach Molefi Ntseki said he was eager to make a strong statement in the first leg, and emphasised the importance of scoring away from home.
"The good thing is that they (the selected players) are all here and we are ready to go," Ntseki affirmed, expressing confidence in the availability and readiness of his players following initial struggles to secure a complete squad.
"We just have to play a game in Malawi with a very clear understanding that a goal in Malawi will be very important for us."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Red Bull F1 rookie Isack Hadjar warned to stay away from senior team ‘curse'
Red Bull F1 rookie Isack Hadjar warned to stay away from senior team ‘curse'

IOL News

time28 minutes ago

  • IOL News

Red Bull F1 rookie Isack Hadjar warned to stay away from senior team ‘curse'

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix It almost seems as if when a Formula 1 driver wants to damage their racing career, they need only sit in the second Red Bull seat, next to Max Verstappen. Evidence that played out since the start of this season suggests that the second seat may come with a 'curse' of sorts. And by curse, we're actually talking about a car that only Max Verstappen can handle. But now, nine races into a colourful rookie year tainted with highs and low, a season in which he's already snagged 21 points for the Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar has been warned to stay away from the senior team. Hadjar's had a phenomenal rookie year, so much so that Racing Bulls CEO Peter Beyer suggested that they would 'handcuff' to keep him there until the end of the season. Despite his horrendous start in Australia, where he destroyed the car - even prompting Helmut Marko to call him an embarrassment. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading But the French-Algerian F1 rookie came back with a boom and showed the rest of the paddock that he's worth a shot at the top. While it may technically be a promotion, the F1 world, including Beyer, are against Hadjar moving to the senior team. The rookie racer pulled off an impressive P6 finish in his first ever F1 race at Monaco, earning praises from all over the paddock. 'For heaven's sake, don't take this talent away from us too soon. He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026. Until then, we'll just have to handcuff him!,' Beyer told a German publication. Former world champion Nico Rosberg also warned the rookie of the move. 'If I was Hadjar now, if ever the team starts to mention (a promotion), I would literally decline,' Rosberg said while commentating at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. 'Decline as hard as you possibly can. 'Because he's doing such a great job there with the (Racing Bulls), he's in a great position,' Rosberg said. The second driver in the senior team, Yuki Tsunoda, has had a dismal season so far shortly after replacing Liam Lawson, who was demoted back to the Racing Bulls. Tsunoda only managed to score seven points in his seven races next to Verstappen, putting a nail in the coffin of Red Bull's Constructor hopes. But it's Horner's leadership that's really at the centre of Red Bull's success this year. The British boss never quite got it together since Adrian Newey's exit from the team. Verstappen has shown immense skill and composure, even with the difficult RB21 car, to give himself a fighting chance for the world title, even against the near-perfect McLarens, and will look to grab vital points at Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Horner's headache may only worsen at the end of this season, as their star driver was tipped to make an exit from Red Bull. It's not clear where Verstappen may go, but Aston Martin has been on a hiring spree recently, even scooping up Newey himself. Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas said he believes it may be Verstappen's last year. 'I think Max is going to win the Drivers' this year, and then I think he's going to call it a day,' Nicholas said.

Maybe Proteas Women lost it a bit in the middle in West Indies loss, says Tazmin Brits despite half-century
Maybe Proteas Women lost it a bit in the middle in West Indies loss, says Tazmin Brits despite half-century

IOL News

timean hour ago

  • IOL News

Maybe Proteas Women lost it a bit in the middle in West Indies loss, says Tazmin Brits despite half-century

Tazmin Brits scored a half-century for the Proteas Women against the West Indies. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Proteas Women opening batter Tazmin Brits was disappointed with her team's performance against the West Indies in Barbados on Wednesday, despite putting up a decent half-century. Brits, who opened the batting for the Proteas with captain Laura Wolvaardt, got the team off to a positive start during the first 10 overs of the game. The pair pushed toward their 50-run partnership, which came in the 11th over, but Wolvaardt lost her wicket cheaply shortly after with a run out. From there on, the Proteas batting line-up were shaky, and looked far off from the team that put over 300 runs on the board a couple months ago against Sri Lanka and India. The Proteas ended up losing Wednesday's game by four wickets via the DLS method. One of the major changes to their batting line-up was Mandla Mashimbyi's choice to move Annerie Dercksen up to No 5. Dercksen hasn't really found her place yet, as she was brought in at No 7 against Sri Lanka during their last ODI. The big-hitting batter fell for just four runs in the middle-order. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading An innings of pure brilliance from Tazmin Brits, showcasing courage and class. A truly phenomenal effort with the bat. 🔥🏏👏#AlwaysRising #WozaNawe — Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) June 11, 2025 The Proteas failed to take the momentum they built in their final game of the Tri-Series into this match against the Windies. West Indies, on the other hand, came into the game with a low confidence level after England thrashed them 6-0 in a prior series. By that logic, the South Africans should have come into this game on a high and dominated the match from the get-go, but the West Indies had other ideas and held them to 232/9 in 50 overs. Brits said they fell short with the bat and ball, and seriously needed to learn how to start winning their first ODI of the series. The 57 off 65 deliveries etched Brits' name into Proteas Women history, as she became the second fastest to reach 1,000 runs in the ODI format. 'We actually started well with the bat upfront. We got to like 43 or 44 runs in the powerplay, and I don't think that was too bad,' Brits said. 'I do think we maybe lost it a bit in the middle. 'In terms of bowling, I don't think we hit our line and length like we should have, and they came out guns blazing, so all credit to them. 'But we are going to have to pull up our socks. We can't keep losing the first ODI. 'We are going to have to start winning that and making a change, especially going into the World Cup. 🚨 MATCH RESULT 🚨 Heavy rain forced a reduction in overs, with the second innings cut to 34 overs and a revised target of 180 set for the West Indies Women ⛈️. The WI Women win by 4 wickets under DLS and take a 1-0 lead in this 3-match ODI series 🏏.#AlwaysRising #WozaNawe — Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) June 11, 2025 'It's always nice to hit those milestones, but it's not as great when you're on the losing end. 'I would have liked to get to a 100 and maybe contribute a bit more to the team, so we could have gotten to that 260 or 280 mark. 'I don't like going out like that... I think it's a bit of a soft dismissal. At the end of the day, I can only learn from it and next time contribute a bit more.' The Klerksdorp-born right-hander said she expected a bit more movement off the pitch, especially with the new ball and pace, but the conditions did not pan out as she thought they would.

SA champion Kevin Lerena returns to boxing ring against Lawrence Okolie on Dubois-Usyk II undercard
SA champion Kevin Lerena returns to boxing ring against Lawrence Okolie on Dubois-Usyk II undercard

IOL News

time2 hours ago

  • IOL News

SA champion Kevin Lerena returns to boxing ring against Lawrence Okolie on Dubois-Usyk II undercard

Kevin Lerena Kevin Lerena was in fine form as he beat Ukraine's Serhiy Radchenko in the third round of their WBC bridgerweight title fight. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Kevin Lerena is preparing for his return to the ring on July 19, where he will face Lawrence Okolie as part of the undercard for the highly anticipated Daniel Dubois v Oleksandr Usyk rematch at Wembley Stadium in London. Currently holding the WBC bridgerweight championship, Lerena comes into the fight with an impressive record of 31 victories, three defeats and 15 knockouts (31-3, 15 KOs). The South African southpaw returns to action following a recent successful defence of his title against Ukraine's Serhiy Radchenko, whom he stopped just 16 seconds into the third round by knockout. Lerena and Okolie have been on a collision course for quite some time, and now their long-awaited meeting will finally take place. British boxer Okolie, who brings a professional record of 21 wins, one loss, and 16 knockouts (21-1, 16 KOs), previously held the bridgerweight title before relinquishing it to pursue his ambitions in the heavyweight division. Their respective journeys have run alongside each other in recent years. Lerena originally held the interim bridgerweight belt before being elevated to full champion status, while Okolie opted to make the jump to heavyweight competition. With the WBC Silver Heavyweight title now at stake, both fighters will be aiming to improve their positions in the highly competitive heavyweight rankings. Lerena is also widely remembered for his 2022 bout against main-card headliner Dubois, where he managed to knock down the Briton three times before ultimately losing in the third round. That performance earned Lerena considerable respect, and his return to the UK offers another chance to prove himself against elite-level opponents. The Lerena v Okolie match-up stands out as one of the more compelling contests on what is already a talent-filled fight card, with both boxers eager to advance towards a world title opportunity in the heavyweight division. Lerena's recent activity is part of a growing surge in South African boxing. Following their success just over a month ago, Aquila Boxing Promotions is set to host another major event, featuring Boyd Allen facing Botswana's Kagiso Bagwasi for the All Africa Super Welterweight title later this month. Bagwasi enters the bout undefeated in his professional career, while Allen, who previously competed in MMA, is eager to make his mark in boxing. With a mixed martial arts record of 16-6-1, Allen has transitioned well into boxing, where he holds a record of 8 wins, one loss and one draw (8-1-1).

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store