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Pitso bemoans striking options

Johannesburg - National coach Pitso Mosimane says he can do little about the team's poor strike rate given the players at his disposal.

South Africa, who scored four goals in six AFCON qualifiers, played to a 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge at the weekend.

Bafana hitman Katlego Mphela netted his 22nd international goal with a superb free-kick, cancelling out a first-half own goal from makeshift left-back Siboniso Gaxa.

Mosimane admits he is no closer to solving the goal problem.

"I will make sure that the team is organised. I will make sure that the team is tactically disciplined. I will make sure that the team play at a high level," he was quoted as saying by the Cape Times.

"If this team doesn't have structure, I will put my head on the block and you can question me on that, but don't question me on the scoring. I can't do anything about that."

He continued: "The game could have gone either way, we could have taken it. But it's the old story - nice build ups but no goals. OIf they had these chances they would have buried us.

"But there is hope, we are a good team, we just need to score more goals."

The former SuperSport United mentor also rose to Mphela's defence after the Sundowns man, the PSL's leading scorer, was jeered for missing a one-on-one chance earlier in the game.

"They blame him for our lack of goals, but at the end of the day he is the only one that scores. He was upset after he scored and I had to calm him down."

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