Bafana Bafana and Tanzania played to a goalless draw in an international friendly on Friday evening.
Khulumane Ndamane, Deano Van Rooyen and Simphiwe Selepe made their official debuts for the senior side under Hugo Broos.
The host made a positive start where a cross-cum shot from a tight angle by Oswin Appollis forced the Taifa Stars to scramble back and clear off the goal-line.
However, the match became pretty even thereafter as the visiting side pushed numbers forward in the hope of the breakthrough but to no avail amidst efforts from Kibu Denis.
Denis didn’t complete the rest of the match around the half-hour mark as he made way for Iddi Selemani Khamis in a tactical switch.
Bafana still fashioned the lion share of chances and were close to taking the lead when Patrick Maswanganyi’s angled shot on the edge of the box sailed narrowly wide.
Tshepang Moremi came close again eight minutes later when he cut-in to the near side of the area and unleashed a left-footed strike, but goalkeeper Yakoub Suleiman Ali parried for a corner-kick.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos made a change between the sticks after 63 minutes as Ricardo Goss vacated for Renaldo Leaner to come for his national team debut.
With the breakthrough difficult to come by, Broos issued more changes minutes later and saw Relebohile Mofokeng, Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Mohau Nkota make an entry.
Mofokeng nearly had a moment of brilliance in added time with an audacious lob outside the box after spotting Ali off his line, but he ended up hitting the side-netting.
In the end, the two nations couldn’t be separated and settled for the draw as Bafana turn attention to Mozambique on Tuesday.
Confirmed line-ups:
South Africa: Goss, Van Rooyen, Moloisane, Khulumani, Basadien, Mbatha, Selepe, Moremi, Maswanganyi, Appollis, Cupido
Subs: Chaine, Mofokeng, Mbuthuma, Sibisi, Kabini, Kwayiba, Le Roux, Nkota, Mbokazi, Mobbie, Mphagule, Leaner
