Itumeleng Khune became the 250th player to represent South Africa since the country re-entered the international football fold in 1992, when he made his debut for Bafana Bafana during their friendly international match against Zimbabwe on Tuesday evening in Germiston.

The Chiefs goalkeeper who has also represented South Africa at U-20 and U-23 level finally got his chance to play for the senior South African national team, as Bafana ran out 2-1 winners over their northern neighbours. Amakhosi midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala also featured in South Africa’s last minute win over the Zimbabweans, while a third Chiefs player defender Moketi Tsotetsi was on the substitute’s bench.

Breaking the drought

Khune ended a two and a half year drought for The Amakhosi when he became the first Chiefs player in a around 30 months to make his debut for the national team - the last new set of Chiefs debutants in the national team set up were Rene Richards and Bevan Fransman, who made their international debuts in a COSAFA Cup Game in August 2005 against Zambia; Khune also became the third Chiefs goalkeeper to debut for the national team. He follows in the footsteps of Brian Baloyi who featured for the first time in national team colours against The Netherlands in June 1997, and Rowen Fernandez who made his international debut in August 2004 against Tunisia in Tunis.

Khune confidence

Khune conceded a goal in the most unfortunate of circumstances against the Zimbabweans; he was beaten by a wicked deflection off the defensive wall off a Gilbert Mushangazikhe free kick in the twelfth minute of the match. He was pretty much untroubled for the rest of the game. Carlos Alberto Parreira has included the Chiefs keeper in his 22 man squad for South Africa’s next international friendly match which is against Paraguay on the 26th March.

Khune is expected to earn his second call up against the South Americans who are in a strong position to earn one of four automatic qualification spots allocated to South America for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

Parreira pleased

Tshabalala impressed Carlos Parreira during his forty five minutes on the field against Zimbabwe. He was however, substituted at half time as Parreira wanted to rest him and spoke highly of the Chiefs midfielder after the match saying. “Tshabalala played well in the first half and was particularly effective in the final ten minutes of the half; we did not want to risk him as he had a knee problem recently so we took him off at the end of the first half”.

Tshabalala and Moketi Tsotetsi like Khune have been included in the squad for the Paraguay encounter which will be played at the Super Stadium in Attridgeville later in the month.