Morena: Scoring here was emotional

Winger Thapelo Morena has revealed his message to his Bafana Bafana teammates ahead of their 3-1 win over Zimbabwe, in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in which he netted a brace.

South Africa collected their second three points of the FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds when they defeated The Warriors 3-1 at packed Free State Stadium on Tuesday evening.

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Goals came from Iqraam Rayners and Morena, while Tawanda Chiwera pulled one back for the visitors.

It was the first time in 14 years that Bafana returned to the Free State province, and head coach Hugo Broos described the atmosphere as the 'best I've experienced'.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Morena, who had made a name for himself in the province while playing for the now-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic, said the experience was an emotional one.

"Firstly, coming to Bloem is something different, the feeling is amazing. I had told the guys that in Bloem we will have more supporters, so we must work very hard and give them a good show on the pitch," Morena said.

"Scoring two goals here was very emotional for me, because I know I played here and I have a lot of history at this stadium, even at Dr [Petrus] Molemela Stadium.

"So, I had to do my level best to give the supporters the best they know me for."

"As the team, we wanted to give back to the Bloemfontein fans and the nation at large."

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With Tuesday's win, Bafana went up to second spot in the qualifying group, level on points with Rwanda, who also collected their second win, against Lesotho, on Tuesday.

They will return to World Cup qualifying action in March 2025 with a match against Benin.

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