‘Every player should behave like Appollis’: Pirates legend praise Bafana star

Orlando Pirates legend Steve Lekoelea has praised Oswin Appollis’s performance for Bafana Bafana following their 5-0 over Eritrea on Wednesday evening.

The 25-year-old winger did not score on the night but provided three assists.

This comes after head coach Pitso Mosimane commented on Appollis’ play after the 2-1 win over Guinea last weekend. The Bafana coach said the Pirates star should not drift from the wing, and instead, he shouls remain on the left side and allow teammate Aubrey Modiba to cut in.

Mosimane’s comments received mix reactions from fans but Lekoelea feels Appollis is coachable and is someone who is willing to do what’s best for the team.

“Every player should behave like Appollis. In football, to last longer, you must be coachable; you have to be strong physically and mentally. Appollis is a national star. Yesterday [Wednesday] he showed he can play at the highest level,” Lekoelea told KickOff.

The Pirates legend though criticised some Bafana players despite the team beating Eritrea 5-0 midweek.

“The same can’t be said about some of his teammates; they were too casual, especially the keeper and the centre-backs. They undermined Eritrea.

“I’m afraid this might be a habit. To make the world respect you, you must destroy the smaller countries by scoring a lot of goals,” he said.

Appollis rediscovering his form

Before the FIFA World Cup in June, Appollis was one of the best players for club and country. His form, however, dipped in the past few months and wasn’t able to perform at his best at the tournament.

For Orlando Pirates, the winger is also yet to fire this campaign but his recent performance for Bafana indicate he might be back to his best.