Stuart Baxter has jumped to the defence of Lebo Mothiba following his below par outing in South Africa’s 2-1 defeat to Nigeria.
The striker came in for a barrage of criticism owing to his poor showing against Gernot Rohr’s men where he fired blanks and conceded a tournament record 10 fouls.
Before his substitution for Lars Veldwijk, the Strasbourg man was finally cautioned by referee Redouane Jiyed for shirt pulling.
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1-1 as Lars Veldwijk comes in for Lebo Mothiba #TotalAFCON2019— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) July 10, 2019However, coach Baxter feels the criticism is unfair, claiming the 23-year-old passed a late fitness test to play against Nigeria.