Cape Town - Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana defender Innocent Maela says he is delighted that the national team have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Maela played the full 90 minutes as Bafana beat Libya 2-1 in Sunday's Group E AFCON qualifier to ensure they advanced to the tournament in Egypt during June and July.

Percy Tau proved to be the difference in the clash as he scored a fine brace, whereas, Darren Keet was immense in goal for the Stuart Baxter-coached side.

Nonetheless, Maela also put in a solid shift in Tunisia at the Stade Taieb Mhiri in Sfax.

Speaking to Pirates' official website, he said: "I am so happy right now. We had a lot of pressure going into this game because of the hopes of the millions of people on our shoulders.

"This is a football-loving country and for far too long they had little to be proud of about the national team but with this qualification I think it could be the start of a renewed hope and belief in Bafana Bafana.

"Obviously this is only the beginning, the real test will be in Egypt later this year but for now we can be proud of returning to the competition after failing to qualify in 2017.

"On a personal level, I am happy to have played the entire match. I look forward to building on this performance and play more crucial games for my country."

The draw for the main AFCON tournament is set to take place on Friday, April 12, in Cairo.