Mothiba strikes fear in France

South African striker Lebo Mothiba warmed up for the upcoming back-to-back African Nations Cup qualifying fixtures against Islanders Seychelles when he grabbed a brace for his club Strasbourg in the French Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Mothiba, who missed the last AFCON qualifier against Libya when his club withdrew him claiming he had strained his thigh, opened the scoring for Strasbourg against Angers in only the second minute of the match.

The South African doubled their lead in the 40^th minute with yet another fine strike but the home side reduced the deficit through Pierre Capelle in the 58^th minute and snatched a last gasp draw in the referee’s optional time.

But SA Coach Stuart Baxter will probably be happy that Mothiba is available to lead the line against the Islanders who have already conceded eight goals in two opening matches against Libya (5-1) and Nigeria (3-0) to prop up the bottom.

Percy Tau did not score for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium’s second tier, but he contributed to their emphatic 2-0 victory, which propelled them to the top of the table also on Saturday.

Another member of the Bafana Bafana European brigade – Kamohelo Mokotjo – bossed the midfield for Brentford in a tempestuous English Championship match against 10-man Leeds United, which ended 1-1 at Elland Road also on Saturday.

The South African players started camp on Sunday in preparation for next Saturday’s first match at the FNB Stadium while the second will be staged in Seychelles four days later.