Bafana Bafana winger Elias Mokwana clocked 77 minutes for Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hazem as they claimed a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Al Riyadh at Al-Hazem Club Stadium on Friday night.
Since securing a move from Esperance Sportive de Tunis to the Saudi Pro League side on a season-long, the 26-year-old has experienced a contrast in form that has seen him in and out of the Bafana fold.
Mokwana left Esperance after only one season, which was a short but successful stay at the club after they lured him to Tunisia from Sekhukhune United.
He racked up 38 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals with four assists and winning three domestic cups.
The speedy winger had concrete offers from Russian Premier League sides Pari Nizhniy Novgorod and Dinamo Makhachkala, but opted for the Saudi move to the newly promoted outfit after being convinced by head coach Jalel Kadri of their project.
Having won the reverse fixture 2-1 against Al Riyadh, Hazem completed their third league double of the season after their win over Friday’s opponents.
They fell behind to Tozé’s 41st minute penalty and went into the breaking trailing the visitors by a goal to nil.
In the second period, they struck four minutes after restart with Rosier Loreintz levelling matters for Hazem.
With the game looking like it was heading for a stalemate, the home side were awarded a spot kick deep into referee’s added time.
Yousef Al-Shammari stepped up to neatly tuck away the penalty for the all-important maximum points at home.
The win saw them pick up two wins on the trot after they beat Al-Faya 2-0 in their last league outing to move into ninth place.
For Mokwana, it was his 19th appearance of the season in Hazem colours having recorded a goal with three assists.
He has been excluded from Hugo Broos’ latest squads including the recent back-to-back international friendlies against Panama, but is hoping to make a strong statement in the remaining games as the season draws to a close in Saudi Arabia.
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