southsports

Here’s the English rewrite for **South News Sports**, with the wording and structure changed while preserving the statistics. [Flashscore](https://www.flashscoreusa.com/news/bafana-bafana-s-impressive-record-playing-against-african-teams-for-the-first-time/AeiM8pgA/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) # Bafana Bafana’s Impressive Record Against New African Opponents South Africa have built a remarkably strong record whenever they face an African nation for the first time. Their upcoming meeting with Eritrea represents another historic occasion, as the match marks the 50th different African opponent Bafana Bafana have faced since returning to international football in 1992. **A Record Dominated by Victories** Of their previous 49 first-time encounters with African opponents, South Africa have won 32, drawn seven and lost 10. That gives Bafana a 65% win rate in these matches. They have scored 74 goals across those encounters while conceding 40, and have kept 25 clean sheets. However, South Africa have also failed to find the net in 10 of those games. **The 1-0 Scoreline Stands Out** A narrow 1-0 victory has been the most common result when South Africa meet a new African opponent. Bafana have recorded that scoreline 10 times. Overall, they have won by one goal on 17 occasions, by two goals nine times and by three goals six times. **Away Matches Have Been More Difficult** South Africa's record becomes less impressive when playing away from home against a new opponent. In 23 such matches, Bafana have recorded 13 victories, one draw and nine defeats. Their home record is considerably stronger, with 19 wins, six draws and just one defeat from 26 first meetings. The only draw in those 23 away first meetings came against Tanzania in 2002, when the two sides finished 1-1. **A Remarkable Unbeaten Sequence** Bafana once went 15 consecutive first meetings against new African opponents without suffering a defeat. That remarkable run stretched from their encounter with Congo in October 1992 to their meeting with DR Congo in November 1996. During the sequence, South Africa recorded 13 victories and two draws. Their most recent defeat in a first meeting came against Rwanda in 2023. South Africa lost 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier played away from home. **Only Three African Nations Remain** With Eritrea becoming their 50th African opponent, only three nations on the continent remain that South Africa have never faced: Djibouti, Somalia and Togo. Bafana's history against new opponents therefore remains one of the more impressive records in African international football.