Bafana Bafana got their World Cup preparations at home off to a flying start when they gunned down and outclassed Thailand 4-0 to celebrate the official opening of the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday.

A capacity 30 000 fans jam into the stadium and left with

spirits high after a dazzling display that equalled Bafana's best

win at home - a 4-0 drubbing of Chad three years ago in Durban.

It was no contest after Bafana rattled in three confidence

boosting goals in a one sided opening 45 minutes. The game was over

in the first half as South Africa toyed with their Asian visitors

who were content to try and limit the damage in the second half.

Thailand, ranked 105th - 15 places below Bafana in the world

rankings -were like the proverbial lambs to the slaughter. The

Thais did not stand a chance against the fired up home side,

cheered on by the capacity partisan crown and their 30 000

vuvuzelas. The intimidating atmosphere was just what Bafana head

coach Carlos Alberto Parreira wanted.

South Africa's technical staff are relying on their supporters

to do a similar job when Bafana host Mexico in the opening World

Cup match at the 90 000 seater Soccer City on June 11.

But Thailand, coached by former England and Manchester United

star Bryan Robson, produced nothing near the quality that Bafana

will face in the form of the stylish Mexicans, Uruguay and France

in their Group A matches at the global showpiece next month. The

win, however, is a fantastic morale booster.

The Nelspruit supporters created an intimidating atmosphere that

helped rattle the visitors from a country now ravaged by civil

unrest who failed to give Bafana a real test as Parreira had hoped.

But the positives that came from the game included the four

goals, playing carpet soccer in front of their fans and winning in

style. Had Bafana taken their chances, however, they could easily

have doubled their half-time lead.

What was pleasing was Katlego Mphela, who has been under

pressure to score, netting two goals after missing a brilliant

cross from Man of the Match Siphiwe Tshabalala in the 14th minute.

Mphela bounced back to score his brace within three minutes - in

the 30th and 33rd minutes - but a worry for Parreira would have

been the lack of confidence shown by his other striker and Mphela's

Mamelodi Sundowns teammate, Surprise Moriri, who wasted three

chances in the eighth, 10th and 16th minutes.

Moriri refused to take responsibility for scoring, opting to

pass when he should have taken shots at goal. His body language

said it all.

The fact that Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune touched the ball

for the first time in the 24th minute, when he dealt with a back

pass, tells the story of the way South Africa dominated the opening

half.

Bafana finally took the lead through a stunning free kick in the

22nd minute from Tshabalala to the delight of the capacity crowd

after Kenyan referee Langat Kipngetich had punished Thailand

defender Sutu Suksomkit harshly for a tackle on Teko Modise.

The goal was just what Bafana and the fans needed to start the

party in the Nelspruit sunshine.

Thailand keeper Kawin Thamasatchanan denied Tshabalala a second

goal with a stunning save from a goal bound rocket from the Chiefs

star on 29 minutes.

But from the resultant corner, taken by Tshabalala, Mphela

netted his first goal since he scored in the 1-1 draw against

Namibia in Durban in March.

Mphela then did well to latch onto a delightful Modise ball that

slipt through the defence and the Downs striker slotted home to

make it 3-0 in the 33rd minute. It was game over.

Mphela, however, wasted a chance in the 45th minute to make it

4-0 when he missed Tshabalala's cross on the Thai goalline, and

then should have got his hat-trick four minutes after the restart

when he beat the offside trap and raced for goal, only to fire

wide.

But Moriri came to the party in the 58th minute with

unbelievable skills that set up Mphela, only for Thai substitute

keeper Sinthaweechi Maitnirattananolto to pull of a top class save.

Thailand's best chance to reduce the deficit was thwarted by a

superb save from Khune in the 64th minute. The Bafana keeper did

well to turn away a well struck 20 metre free kick from Datsanorn

Nontadel, but that was the only chance the under pressure visitors

created in the 90 minutes.

So relaxed was Parreira that he could afford to bring off his

number one keeper and give Orlando Pirates goalminder Moeneeb

Josephs a run out in the 67th minute.

Bafana substitute Siyabonga Nomvete forced Maitnirattananolto to

stop his goal bound shot in the 78th minute.

But another super sub, Bernard Parker, put the cherry on top

with a well taken goal in the 90th minute to end the rout.