Bafana Bafana Keeper Substituted for His Own Welfare, Coach Explains

Leaner’s two errors while attempting to clear the ball resulted in two goals for Stellenbosch as they secured a 3-1 victory over Sekhukhune in a downpour at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.

This prompted the visitors to substitute Leaner with just 10 minutes remaining in the match – a move made shortly after his second mistake.

This was not the kind of performance Leaner required as he seeks to convince Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos to include him in the squad for the World Cup set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Leaner stands a chance of being selected as either the second or third choice goalkeeper, having recently played against Panama last month. However, his glaring errors will certainly draw attention to his current form.

His first mistake occurred when he made a wayward short pass to the edge of the penalty area, which was intercepted by Thabang Monare. This allowed Genino Palace to convert with a left-footed shot, putting the score at 2-0 just before the 39-minute mark.

Leaner exhibited another error in the 68th minute when a misjudged clearance fell to Chumani Butsaka, who connected with Devon Titus for a quick one-two before finishing the play, making it 3-1.

In the 80th minute, Leaner was substituted and replaced by Toaster Nsabata, creating an awkward situation as Sekhukhune was already trailing by two goals. Leaner expressed his frustration by heading straight down the tunnel to the changing room.

“To be honest, it was more about protecting him from possibly conceding even more goals; it could have been worse had we not made the change and he conceded five,” commented Masehe, who was in charge of his first match following Eric Tinkler’s dismissal earlier in the week.

“Knowing that he could have performed better, sometimes tough decisions need to be made to safeguard the players,” added the new manager.

Leaner’s disappointing outing came less than three weeks after he represented Bafana Bafana in the second of their World Cup warm-up friendlies against Panama.

He earned a spot in the squad after Sipho Chiane was omitted and remains in contention for a World Cup place, although Friday’s performance is unlikely to have improved his chances.