It is Thursday, and Supporters Club throws back. Today, we take you down memory lane to the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations final between South Africa and Tunisia.
The game was played at a packed FNB Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg, on 3 February 1996. Both teams had star-studded line-ups, with Tunisians having their talismans Mehdi Ben Slimane and Zoubeir Baya in their side, while Bafana had the magic of Doctor Khumalo and Shoes Moshoeu, among others.
The first half ended in a 0-0 stalemate, with both teams having a go at each other. The second stanza started the same way as the first, with both teams having chances.
It was in the 72nd minute when Bafana Bafana were awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Khumalo took the set-piece and from a Mark Fish flick-on, Eric Tinkler hit the post with the follow-up header, before the ball fell to Sizwe Motaung, who played it across to substitute Mark Williams, who headed home from point blank range... 1-0 to Bafana.
Two minutes later, Khumalo dispossessed the Tunisians and put in a through-ball to Williams, who finished it with his left foot in the far corner to grab his brace... 2-0 to Bafana in the 75th minute!
The Tunisians tried to surge forward in search of a goal of their own but were shut out by Bafana's solid defence. The Ugandan referee Charles Masembe blew the final whistle at the end of the 90 minutes, much to the delight of fans and President Tata Nelson Mandela, who was in attendance. As a result, history was made as South Africa were crowned the 1996 champions of Africa!
What memories of that game do you have?
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