Bafana Bafana have ended 2009 with a goal-scoring crisis. Bafana were held to another 0-0 draw, this time by a second

string Jamaica in their final friendly of the year at a cold Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.

The biggest losers were the 20 000 odd supporters who braved

the cold wintery conditions to support their team who turned in a

below average display.

It is now over six hours since Bafana last scored a goal and

that was against minnows Madagascar in a friendly played in

Kimberley in September.

New Bafana head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira goes into the

Festive Season international recess with a major headache -- how to

score goals. And how to instil a sense of urgency into his players.

Urgency was one of the main ingredients Bafana lacked in front of

their enthusiastic Bloemfontein fans.

But at the end of a cold night Bafana's performance was a huge

disappointment giving the quality of their opposition.

Parreira has seven months until the World soccer showpiece kicks

off on South African soil and after Tuesday night's showing

Parreira will have his work cut out to get this bunch of players

anywhere near ready to take on the world's best countries in seven

short months.

Bafana showed plenty of fighting spirit when they drew 0-0

against highly-rated Japan in Port Elizabeth last weekend but

failing to beat a make shift Jamaica shows that Parreira will be

earning all of his R1.6 million per month salary during the next

seven months.

Jamaica were there for the taking in the first half but Bafana

could not capitalise on their visitors' slow back four and sloppy

passing.

Bafana were too casual, kept playing the ball sideways and

backwards and wanted too many touches. Bafana also wanted to

dribble and show off and, as result, they got nowhere in the opening

45 minutes against a limited Jamaican side that looked like they

would be overwhelmed. They did, however, nearly shock their hosts in the 23rd

minute, but Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena did brilliantly

to rescue the situation when he managed to scoop Dane Richards's shot

off his goalline.

Bafana started off confidently when Siphiwe Tshabalala threaded

the ball to Katlego Mphela whose shot went wide after only two

minutes.

Mphela, the Premier Soccer League and Mamelodi Sundowns' leading

goal scorer should have scored in the tenth minute when he was set

up by Benni McCarthy.

But instead of firing past goalkeeper Dwayne Muller, Mphela

managed to direct the ball from close range straight at the

grateful Jamaican keeper.

It was all Bafana at that stage. Reneilwe Letsholonyane tried a

right wing cross for his Kaizer Chiefs teammate Tshabalala, but the

Bafana left wing failed to connect the ball at the far post in the

22nd minute.

A minute later the Bafana defence went walk

about but the Bafana captain saved the day with a great stop on his

goalline from a Richards shot that was heading for the back of the

net.

At the other end, in the 25th minute Muller pulled off a stunning save from a

powerful 25-metre free kick from McCarthy that had goal written all

over it.

McCarthy, who struggled again as he did in the 0-0 draw against

Japan in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, was wide of the target in

the 35th minute. Unless he gets game time at club level he is not

going to be an asset for the 2010 World Cup.

Jamaica's only other goal-scoring attempt came from a free kick

from Demar Phillips that screamed over the crossbar five minutes

from the break.

Bafana were frustrated again after the break and despite having

territorial advantage had no penetration in front of goals.

Bafana came close to breaking the deadlock when a volley by

Kagisho Dikgacoi flew centimetres over the Jamaican crossbar on 67

minutes.

The match fizzled out after the Fulham midfielder's tremendous

volley and at the end of the night Bafana sent their loyal fans

home disappointed.

For Parreira his first two matches in charge produced more

questions than answers.