“It was a nice match,” Erick ‘Tower’ Mathoho said after Bafana Bafana’s convincing 3-1 win over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday. “They gave us good competition. We learned a lot and picked up a few elements to enrich our preparation for future games.”

"All the players enjoyed the game,” Kaizer Chiefs’ defender adds. “The team spirit was high. We fought as a unit to win the match.”

Accordingly, Mathoho points at some challenging moments in the game. “In the first ten minutes they gave us a problem in the middle of the park. However, we were quick to identify that and fix it. The same nearly happened towards the end, but again we handled them well.”

Bafana Bafana are on an unbeaten run of sixteen games and that brings delight to the lanky centre-back. “Yes,” he reacts with a rare smile, “we are on an excellent run. The unbeaten record is great motivation.”

With this record, the South African national team bettered the mark set between September 1994 and January 1996.

Mathoho and Bafana Bafana arrived in East London on Sunday afternoon where they will face on Tuesday their next opponent during this Fifa break.

“We are ready for the game against Angola,” concludes ‘Tower’. “It’s our aim to use these friendlies to be ready for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.”

Amakhosi’s Itumeleng Khune captained the side, while ‘Tower’ and Ramahlwe Mphahlele manned the last line of defence. Another Glamour Boy, Lorenzo Gordinho, was in the squad too, but didn’t get minutes and is therefore still waiting to make his Bafana Bafana debut. That opportunity might come in Tuesday’s fixture against Angola.

Next Friendly International 

Bafana Bafana v Angola 

Tuesday, 28 March 

Buffalo City Stadium, East London 

Kick-off at 19:00