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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana midfielder Dean Furman says he has fully recovered from his injuries even though his face may tell a different story.
Furman was taken to hospital after suffering facial injuries in the first half of South Africa's 2-0 win over the Central African Republic, in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier played at the Cape Town Stadium last month.
Although results of the scan came back positive, showing no broken bones, there were concerns that the wounds would take time to heal.
"I have fully recovered and in very good condition," Furman said in a statement on Thursday.
"There are still some scars to show from that memorable battleground but I am very fine now.
"It was very painful at the time, but I still wanted to go back to the field to play, but I had problems with my vision so I could not continue."
The hard-tackling midfielder has since put that injury behind him, playing a key role for his League One club, Doncaster Rovers, who are fighting for promotion into the English Championship.
He came on at half-time in their 1-0 defeat to Coventry last Friday, and then made his first start in a 1-0 home win over Swindon that took his side to the summit of the standings.
After three matches, Bafana Bafana are second in Group A with five points; two behind leaders Ethiopia, the CAR are third with three points, while Botswana lie at the bottom of the table with a single point.
Furman believed the top spot was there for the taking following victory over the CAR.
"We are still there and we know it's going to be difficult, but getting that win over CAR was important for our course," Furman said.
"Now we need to take that confidence into the next game to keep the momentum going.
"We have come a long way and we need to keep up the fight and do well in the next two away games against CAR and Ethiopia."
