Goal-shy S.Africa hit Swazis for six

A bad week for South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira ended happily as the 2010 World Cup hosts overwhelmed Swaziland 6-2 in a non-cap friendly.

It was the first outing of the year for Bafana Bafana (The Boys), who face Mexico and former champions Uruguay and France in Group A during June at the most watched global sport event.

And while football minnows Swaziland conceded one soft goal after another at Chatsworth Stadium in this Indian Ocean city, when you coach goal-shy South Africa the sight of the ball hitting the net is always cause for celebration.

Gert van Schalkwyk and Franklin Cele scored twice each and Katlego Mphela and Thulani Serero once apiece for South Africa, who managed a miserable 10-goal return from 18 outings last year.

Despite the friendly billing, Swazi defender Sihawu Dlamini did not enter into the spirit of the occasion and two yellow cards led to his expulsion 12 minutes from full-time against an all-local South Africa line-up.

Parreira, who guided Brazil to victory in the 1994 World Cup and the quarter-finals in Germany four years ago, was furious after hopes of an early March start to a training camp in his homeland were dashed.

A club fixture clash between the South African Premiership and the African Football Confederation (CAF) meant the final round of domestic league fixtures had to be delayed one week to March 6 and the Brazil camp cut short.

South African officials say the national squad will also train in Germany during April and at Kempton Park on the north-east outskirts of Johannesburg the following month before facing Mexico in the June 11 World Cup opener.

Bafana, who changed the entire team at half-time, are likely to receive a greater examination of their progress after a two-week Durban camp when they face Zimbabwe in a friendly at Moses Mabhida Stadium next Wednesday.