Mandela Challenge Series: Nigeria 2-0 loss Mark Worst Record For SA

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Hosts, South Africa’s 2-0 loss to Nigeria in Durban on Wednesday marked the sixth time the host nation has lost in the annual Mandela Challenge.

PANA reports that the loss to Nigeria in the 2013 edition was South Africa’s second straight loss in the tournament, having been beaten 1-0 by Zambia in 2012.

However, Bafana Bafana has won the event 11 times and drawn thrice since the inaugural match in 1994.

During the series, South Africa had played against eight non-African countries, including Argentina with which it drew 1-1 in 1995, the 2-3 loss to Brazil in 1996, the 0-2 loss to the Netherlands in 1997, the win over Sweden in 1999, and the 0-0 draw with France in 2000.

The South Africans defeated Costa Rica in 2003, beat the US in 2007, defeated Norway in 2009 while the Americans returned in 2010 to beat Bafana Bafana 1-0.

The Mandela Challenge is an annual football match between South Africa and an invited visiting team.

It was founded as a way of raising money for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and to honour South Africa’s first black President.

The challenge is played as a single leg, held in South Africa on all but one occasion.

In previous years, the title was shared if the match was tied after 90 minutes but from 2012, there was a provision for penalty shootout should there be no winner after 90 minutes.

Below is the table of winners since inauguration in 1994, tabulated under date of play, teams and host city.

12 May 1994 – South Africa 2 – 1 Zambia – Johannesburg.

13 May 1995 – South Africa 1 – 1 Argentina – Johannesburg.

24 April 1996 – South Africa 2 – 3 Brazil – Johannesburg.

4 June 1997 – South Africa 0 – 2 Netherlands – Johannesburg.

16 December 1998 – South Africa 2 – 1 – Egypt – Johannesburg.

27 November 1999 – South Africa 1 – 0 Sweden – Pretoria.

7 October 2000 – South Africa 0 – 0 France – Johannesburg.

10 November 2001 – South Africa 1 – 0 Egypt – Johannesburg.

19 November 2002 – South Africa 1 – 1(1–4 penalties) Senegal – Johannesburg.

11 October 2003 – South Africa 2 – 1 Costa Rica – Potchefstroom.

17 November 2004 – South Africa 2 – 1 Nigeria – Johannesburg.

12 November 2005 – South Africa 3 – 2 Senegal – Port Elizabeth.

15 November 2006 – South Africa 1 – 0 Egypt – London, United Kingdom

17 November 2007 – South Africa 2 – 1 United States – Johannesburg.

19 November 2008 – South Africa 3 – 2 Cameroon – Rustenburg.

28 March 2009 – South Africa 2 – 1 Norway – Phokeng.

17 November 2010 – South Africa 0 – 1 United States – Cape Town.

12 November 2011 – South Africa 1 – 1 Cote d’Ivoire – Port Elizabeth.

14 November 2012 – South Africa 0 – 1 Zambia – Johannesburg.

14 August 2013 – South Africa 0 – 2 Nigeria – Durban.

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