South Africa U-23 assistant coach Karabo Mogudi says the team’s two international friendlies against Algeria have provided valuable preparation for their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifying campaign.
The South Africans hosted Algeria twice at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, winning the opening match 3-1 before being held to a 1-1 draw in the second encounter on Sunday.
Both matches were arranged as preparation for next month’s Olympic qualifiers, with South Africa due to face Madagascar in the second round of the qualifying campaign.
Mogudi, who stood in for head coach Raymond Mdaka while he attended to a family bereavement, said the opportunity to face a competitive international opponent was particularly useful for a young squad.
“This was an extremely important exercise for us. This is the first friendly international we’ve had of the U23s in years, and it pleases us that when SAFA got the call to say Algeria is interested in coming to South Africa, we said that they must come through.
“We thought it was going to be a good exercise for us, and it definitely was, a very competitive team, very competitive friendly exercise, and we are happy that they gave them competition, especially in the second game,” said Mogudi.
The assistant coach said the two matches also gave the technical team an opportunity to identify areas requiring attention before the competitive fixtures begin.
“We need a few improvements here and there, but this exercise was a beautiful one for us as coaches. We were able to analyze where we went wrong, where to fix, where our weaknesses are and obviously reinforce where our strengths are.”
South Africa made a strong start to the double-header by beating Algeria 3-1 in the first game. The visitors returned with a more physical and aggressive approach in Sunday’s second meeting, but Mogudi was encouraged by the way his side responded.
He had made six changes to his starting line-up for the second match but said the adjustments did not disrupt the team’s structure.
“We made a number of changes in the line-up, and we did not struggle as much as we thought we would. I think we held firm, the technical structure of the team was intact and I was happy that we were very competitive throughout the game. You can see that Algeria brought a little bit of the physical element and aggression, and we did very well to manage that. I’m happy that also at a physical level we are able to withstand such because when you go into the continent proper for the qualifiers, that physicality will be needed,” added Mogudi.
South Africa took the lead through an own goal before Algeria equalised during the first half.
Mogudi was also encouraged by the team’s ability to create chances, although he acknowledged that the players needed to become more clinical in front of goal.
“We missed a lot of chances to score, but it’s a work in progress. This is a new team, and a lot of them are playing together for the first time. We’re just happy with the chemistry, with the team-building process, and we are happy that we got a very good tactical preparatory adversary like Algeria and it will put us in a good position to go into battle in the next qualifiers.”
The support from spectators in Bloemfontein was another positive for the South African camp, with fans turning out in numbers for both matches.
Mogudi said the players appreciated the encouragement they received, particularly during periods when the team came under pressure.
“There were instances where you could sense that they were also sensing that we were under a little bit of pressure and they encourage us, and the boys enjoyed their presence. We would like to see a lot of these when the national teams play and we say ‘thank you to the people of Bloemfontein for coming through and supporting these boys’, they really appreciate the support,” said Mogudi.
South Africa’s next challenge will be against Madagascar in the second round of the Olympic qualifiers, with the two-legged tie scheduled to take place between 9 and 17 November.
The fixture was confirmed after Comoros withdrew from their opening-round tie against Madagascar.
With the Algeria matches now completed, South Africa will turn their attention to the competitive campaign and the task of securing progress towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
For Mogudi and the coaching staff, the two matches against Algeria have provided an opportunity to assess the squad, identify weaknesses, strengthen team chemistry and test the players against the physical demands they are likely to encounter in the qualifiers.
