A trio of Orlando Pirates players debuted in national colours on Friday night, all featuring in South Africa’s goalless draw against Tanzania in a friendly match played at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos named nine Buccaneers in his match day squad for the fixture, which was the first of two games slated for the June international window. Four players in the heavy Bucs contingent in the squad earned full caps, with two doing so for the first time as the Belgian mentor looked to build depth ahead of some crucial fixtures scheduled for the latter half of 2025.
Just a little over a month into his career as a senior professional footballer, midfielder Simphiwe Selepe featured among the starters against the Taifa Stars. The 20-year-old was an assured figure in the middle of the park, and set up a chance for Oswin Appollis on the stroke of halftime on his way to racking up his first 90 minutes of international football.
He was joined in the starting XI by fellow debutant Deano van Rooyen, who slotted in at right-back, while fellow Bucs teammates Patrick Maswanganyi and Thalente Mbatha also lined up for their fifth and sixth international caps, respectively.
The five other Pirates players in the squad were included on the bench, with one eventually making his first appearance in national colours later in the contest.
Forward Mohau Nkota rounded up the Bucs debutants on the night when he was introduced in the 69th minute alongside Relebohile Mofokeng, who came on in place of Maswanganyi for his eighth international cap.
Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine meanwhile remained an unused sub, along with the defensive duo of Nkosinathi Sibisi and the uncapped Mbekezeli Mbokazi. The 19-year-old centre-back will have to wait a couple more days for another shot at a deserved international debut, with the senior national team poised to take to the field once more early next week.
They faced off at the same venue against neighbours Mozambique on Tuesday night, with the match getting underway at 19:30.
SOURCED FROM ORLANDO PIRATES WEBSITE.