Thabiso Sesane has opened up on being called up to the Bafana Bafana squad, as well as his Man of the Match performance for Orlando Pirates against Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 final.
Sesane was once again a towering presence in the heart of a Pirates defence that has conceded just five goals from 11 matches across all competitions so far this season.
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He has featured in all those matches, and it came as little surprise when Bafana head coach Hugo Broos gave him the nod for the upcoming back-to-back 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Congo.
"I'm very happy to be going to Bafana Bafana," Sesane said on SABC Sport during his Man of the Match post-match interview.
"I've been working very hard and it's always been my dream to be in the final 23 Bafana squad."
The 24-year-old then went on to reflect on Saturday's performance, revealing how they managed to claw their way back having conceded first.
"In my view, we told ourselves that if they scored first, it would be difficult for us to come back. But in the second half, the coach told us to go all out with our lives and that's what happened. We told ourselves that we would go all out and the result showed.
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"Yes, they scored first, it was our mistake. It happens, but we told ourselves that we could come back into the match, win the cup and take the trophy back to Orlando.
"The coach was upset at half-time. He spoke here and there during half-time, but it was us the players that were mostly speaking. We were just saying that we need to run so that we can win the cup.
"For me, I'm very happy for myself. I've been working and working and I've won my first MTN8 with my teammates."