“We were not happy about losing 1-0. We want to try and win each game we play.”
He was speaking after his team’s only training session ahead of tonight’s friendly international against Mozambique at the Mbombela Stadium. Kick-off is at 8.35pm.
“I was pleased with the effort and commitment and the way the players adapted to how we were going to play our game,” he said of last Friday night’s match against Brazil in São Paulo.
“Our priority is the Nations Cup (Africa Cup of Nations). That is what our big picture is.”
Mozambique might be ranked 35 places below Bafana by Fifa, but the Mambas’ 2-0 win against Morocco in the first leg of their Afcon qualifier on Sunday suggests they will not just roll over tonight.
On the injuries to his strikers, Igesund said: “I can’t even begin describing our situation with strikers. There were a lot of freak incidents. I called up (Siyabonga) Nomvethe, replaced him with (Edward) Manqele, then he got injured and I called up Benni (McCarthy). Now he is out, along with Dino Ndlovu.”
Bernard Parker is the only recognised striker left in the team, while Thamsanqa Gabuza is untested at international level.
Meanwhile, the Bafana captaincy saga has claimed its first victim, Siphiwe Tshabalala, the national team’s deputy skipper since November 2010.
Tshabalala was last week relieved of the vice captaincy without a word by Igesund.
In the absence of Steven Pienaar, defender Bongani Khumalo was handed the armband against Brazil, much to the surprise of the fans.
Igesund had made comments hinting he would drop Pienaar as captain in favour of Morgan Gould, who is injured.
