Mosimane: Aubaas Is One Unfortunate Player

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has given Bathusi Aubaas assurance that he still has a place in the national team, after the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder hobbled off with an injury early on in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations clash against Eritrea.

Aubaas was the third central midfielder to pick up an injury in the current Bafana Bafana camp, following Lebohang Maboe and Teboho Mokoena. This leaves Bafana Bafana thin for their upcoming friendly international against Egypt on Sunday.

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Meanwhile, Brooklyn Poggenpoel's performance against Eritrea after replacing Aubaas should give Mosimane reason to believe that they can give a good fight against the Pharaohs.

Bafana Bafana cruised to a 5-0 victory at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo, cementing their spot at the top of Group D in the AFCON qualifiers after two matches. It's six out of six points for Mosimane in his opening two matches, but there is a concern over central midfielders.

Another Cruel Blow for Aubaas

"Aubaas is one unfortunate player. He missed the World Cup because of injury and he was ready to come on and to play.

"Again, (he) broke down. Shame, he was crying in the dressing room, but we are there to support him and give him confidence. He is a very good football player. It was his chance to play again because he missed the World Cup. He will soon be back in the national team. We have patience with him," Mosimane told the media after the match.

Poggenpoel Shines on Debut as Midfield Depth Is Stretched

Brooklyn Poggenpoel's composed debut display after replacing Aubaas handed Mosimane a welcome silver lining, but the numbers tell a stark story heading into the Egypt clash.

"Teboho is out with injury; Aubaas is out with injury. So, we are losing a lot of players in the midfield, but it also gave Brooklyn a chance to play in his debut, and he played very well. He played like he has been playing all the time.

"We are a little bit thin against Egypt with central midfielders, and we had to bring Themba Zwane to play in the midfield because I wanted to take Yaya (Sphephelo Sithole) out because he is the only experienced one we are left with. We don't have Teboho, we don't have (Thalente) Mbatha, we lost Jayden (Adams), and we don't have Aubaas. So, it's a little bit unfortunate for us. We are loaded with wingers and full backs."

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Six From Six: Mosimane Locks In on Kenya

Mosimane praised his players for the performance against Eritrea, which puts the national team in a good position ahead of their next two matches against Benni McCarthy's Kenya side in November.

"We are happy with five goals, we are happy with three points. Eritrea started very good, very strong. They had a chance. They hit the post, and their number 10 is very dangerous. We had to look after him because he is very important to look after. We saw Eritrea play against Kenya, and they were leading, and Kenya equalised late, so we had to give them the respect that they deserve. I am happy that we won. Two games, six points. Good performance from our boys."

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2027 Afcon Bafana Bafana Bathusi Aubaas Brooklyn Poggenpoel Mamelodi Sundowns Pitso Mosimane