The friendly was Santana's final warm-up game before Bafana host

Asian champions Iraq in the opening Confederations Cup Group A

match at Ellis Park next Sunday.

Bafana played with a lot more confidence than in previous

matches and deserved their victory over Poland, ranked 39th in the

world.

It was the perfect boost for Bafana and the country ahead of

what is going to be a demanding Confederations Cup campaign where

expectations of Bafana getting in the semifinals are high.

World number one side Spain and outsiders New Zealand are

Bafana's other opponents in Group A.

Bafana's defence and midfield was rock solid. Matthew Booth and

skipper Aaron Mokoena shone at central back while Siboniso Gaxa

excelled at right back.

Bafana dominated the first 45 minutes in which the Eastern

European side struggled to get going.

Santana changed his game plan at the last minute because of a

thigh injury to his midfield maestro Teko Modise. The Orlando

Pirates ace did not train with the squad on Friday due to his

injury.

Santana decided not to risk Modise and brought in his Pirates

teammate Benson Mhlongo, a defensive midfielder, instead of the

more attacking option in Siphiwe Tshabalala who played in Modise's

place in a training match at Milpark on Friday.

However, Santana's cautious approach worked in the opening 45

minutes and then Bafana midfield squeezed their more experienced

Polish counterparts and managed to keep control.

Bafana opened the scoring in the sixth minute when playmaker

Steven Pienaar showed his class by laying off a defence-splitting

through ball to Bernard Parker. Parker cleverly drew Polish keeper

Lukasz Zaluska and then found unmarked Terror Fanteni who slotted

into an empty net. It is the Maccabi Haifa's top goal scorer's

second goal for his country in 18 starts, most of which have come

from the bench. He showed that he and Parker could form a deadly

striking partnership.

The crowd of about 20 000 erupted but so did Polish coach Leo

Beenhakker who was screaming for offside which was not given.

But, on the run of play, Bafana more than deserved their 1-0

lead at the break. A stunning clearance from Bafana keeper

Itumeleng Khune found Parker in the 13th minutes and it took a

brilliant challenge from Poland defender Bartosz Bosacki to deny

the livewire Parker a shot on goal inside the Polish penalty area.

Khune made his only save of the first half when he dealt easily

with a well-directed 20 metre shot from Polish dangerman Slawomir

Peszko after 22 minutes.

Parker tried his luck with a first time shot a minute from the

break but the effort when wide of goal.

Bafana started to pile on the pressure after the break and came

close to going 2-0 ahead in the 58th minute when Parker latched

onto to a great ball from Siboniso Gaxa inside the six yard area.

However, Poland's Dundee United keeper Zaluska did well to close

down the Bafana striker whose shot inched past the woodwork.

Mhlongo headed over the Polish crossbar on 71 minutes after he

connected another accurate cross from hard working Gaxa.

Booth capped a fine game and justified Santana's faith in the

experienced former Russian-based central defender when he made a

vital clearance from the boot off Poland substitute Marcin

Komorowski in the 74th minute. Komorowski had beaten his marker and

was about to unleash a shot when Booth pounced and cleared the

danger.

But the bad news was an injury to Pienaar who came off in the

76th minute and was replaced by Tshabalala.

Gaxa who was outstanding at right back forced Zaluska to fist

his powerful striker over his crossbar in the 77th minute as the

home side went for the kill.

But despite being in control and keeping Poland under a lot of

pressure, Bafana failed to add to their sixth minute goal.

But they did enough to give their fans confidence by the way

they played the ball around especially in midfield against a more

experienced side.