The South Africa Men’s National Football Team, affectionately known as Bafana Bafana, scored the sole goal of the match against Costa Rica at the National Stadium last night, but their victory was somewhat overshadowed by the presence of goalkeeper Keylor Navas and a security breach that left a young fan bruised.

The incident occurred at the end of the match, long after Bafana striker Andile Jali elevated the ball with a measured touch above Mr. Navas, who had stepped forward to challenge him. Even though Costa Rica made a costly mistake that started with poor control of the ball, the South African reaction of quick, one-touch passing and Mr. Jali’s definition were solid and masterful.

Costa Rica dominated most of the match but lacked definition as South Africa parked the bus deep and smartly defended the 1 – 0 advantage.

Young fans did not seem too disappointed in seeing Costa Rica fall at the Chinese-donated National Stadium; after all, they were there that night to see their idol up close. Mr. Navas’ performance at the FC Real Madrid in recent weeks has been lauded by several sports news media outlets, particularly here in Costa Rica.

What happened at the end of the match managed to upset the new president of the National Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL). Rodolfo Villalobos was incensed to learn that a young fan who defeated stadium security to approach Mr. Navas was intercepted by security guards and violently thrown to the ground.

The incident caught the attention of reserve goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado and a teammate, who intervened on behalf of the young fan. The bench players gave the boy a souvenir and sent him on his merry way, but not before exchanging colorful words with the security guards. Two other fans were able to reach Mr. Navas, who graciously gave them an autograph before telling them to hurry off the pitch.

FEDEFUTBOL president Villalobos, who was elected to succeed the disgraced Eduardo Li after his arrest in the FIFA scandal, was livid as he spoke to journalists from sports radio station Columbia 98.7 FM about the security incident. He was concerned about the ability of fans to reach the pitch from the seats, and he was furious about the rough handling of the boy by stadium security. He assured listeners that he would personally deal with those involved in the incident.