It was a night of records in Polokwane on Monday as Bafana Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena celebrated winning his 100th international cap by leading his side to a record 5-0 win over Guatemala in a World Cup warm-up. The result will be a huge confidence boost for the team as goals from Katlego Mphela (two penalties), Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Surprise Moriri and Bernard Parker stunned the Central Americans. Bafana were awarded a terrible penalty decision by referee Ibrahim Chaibou from Niger, who adjudged Siphiwe Tshabalala’s long-range effort to have struck Guatemalan defender Gustavo Cabrera on the arm. Whether it did or not is up for debate, but what’s not is that the incident happened a yard outside the area, and at the very most should have been a free kick. Mphela did not waste the gift and notched his 13th goal in Bafana colours, snatching the ball out of the hands of Teko Modise and converting from the spot. Mphela and Gonzalo Romero traded ambitious long-range free kicks, before Letsholonyane scored his maiden international goal. Brilliant work from Lucas Thwala down the left saw him reach the byline and his chip into the box fell perfectly for Letsholonyane , who volleyed into an empty net with visiting goalkeeper David Guerra out of position. Tshabalala shot wide from just outside the area, while Mphela dallied on a shot and saw his effort deflected wide. If he had pulled the trigger quicker, he might have scored. Bafana did extend their lead three minutes into the second half when substitute Moriri picked up the loose ball just outside the six-yard box from Mphela’s driving run and cross and tapped home with the Guatemalan defence at sixes and sevens. The referee decided to level the score on a the poor penalty award count when he awarded the visitors a soft spot-kick after adjudging Thwala to have hand-balled, when the ball looked to have struck his chest. But Moeneeb Josephs saved Guillermo Ramirez’s poor effort and the score remained 3-0 to the home side. Steven Pienaar should have got a spot-kick minutes later when he was clattered in the area, but strangely this time the referee said no, but shortly afterwards he again pinned Cabrera for hand-ball in the box from Kagisho Dikgacoi’s shot. This award looked correct and Mphela coolly slotted home from the spot and Bafana matched their best-ever result in international football. Pienaar’s brilliant free-kick from 35-yards with 20 minutes left slammed against the post with Guatemalan substitute goalkeeper David Guerra beaten, denying him a spectacular goal. But that spectacular goal came from Parker , who picked up the ball on the sideline, beat two defenders and hot a shot from 25-yards across the goalkeeper and into the top corner. Source- Goal.com 2010 World Cup Blog for the Fans
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Bafana Beat Guatemala 5-0 in friendly match
