Star of the show Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice to go with goals from Yaya Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh in an accomplished display from the national side.
For a start, it is Bafana Bafana’s biggest-ever victory in an away-designated fixture and their biggest win outside South Africa, eclipsing previous four-goal margins that included a 5-1 success over Eswatini and 4-0 wins against Gambia and Namibia.
It is their joint-second biggest victory home or away, behind only the 6-0 success against Seychelles in 2018, which was also in an AFCON qualifier. They have also beaten Guatemala and Congo 5-0, so this is the fourth time in their history they have won by at least five goals.
Their seven goals from the opening two qualifiers is their best start to an AFCON preliminary campaign in that regard.
It is also the biggest win for Mosimane with the national team. His previous best was a 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso in a friendly in 2011.
It is the first time Bafana Bafana have won their opening two AFCON qualifiers since 2000, and only the third time in their history.
On that occasion 26 years ago, they defeated Congo 2-1 away and then Liberia by the same scoreline at home. They had also opened the 1994 qualifying campaign with 1-0 victories over Madagascar away and Mauritius at home.
Both those sequences ended with draws in the third qualifier, so Bafana have never won their opening three matches of an AFCON qualifying campaign.
Singh’s goal came after a gap of five years, 11 months and 22 days from his previous Bafana goal, but that is not the longest for the side.
That mark is held by Thabiso Kutumela, who scored in South Africa's 3-2 COSAFA Cup final win over Botswana on June 25, 2016, then did not score again until the 1-1 draw with Algeria at the CHAN on August 8, 2025, an incredible gap of nine years, one month and 14 days.
Katlego Mashego also had a gap of six years, nine months and 23 days between Bafana goals, making Singh third on the list.
Oswin Appollis’ three assists is the first time Bafana have had that number in a match since the Orlando Pirates winger also provided three assists in the 5-0 win over Congo in 2024.
He could claim to have had four assists in this one as it was his shot that was parried by the goalkeeper and provided a tap-in for Sithole, though football statistics do not allow for that.
Bafana’s next qualifiers are home and away against Kenya in November, though they have a friendly clash against Egypt on Sunday.