Hugo Broos Reflects on Draw with Nigeria: ‘We Knew Football Alone Wouldn’t Secure the Win’

The Belgian manager remains optimistic.

Details: Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos shared his thoughts on yesterday’s draw against Nigeria:

“If the South African national team had faced Nigeria two years ago like we did today, we would have lost. In the second half, we realized we couldn’t win by just playing football; we had to fight hard, and that’s what we did. We matched our opponents in effort and strength, making the result fair—neither team earned a win. I’m pleased we secured this point. Now we just need one more win, and we have two chances to achieve that.” Broos said.

The 73-year-old Belgian acknowledged that preparing for Nigeria required careful planning:

“On one side, we want to play good football, but we also need to be physically strong. For the first half hour, we balanced that well, but then Nigeria pushed back with their physical approach, which worked for them.

If we had defended a bit more aggressively, they wouldn’t have scored, and it was a handball. Regardless, it ended 1-1, and teams like Nigeria have a different style of play. Given the progress South Africa has made, it’s significant,” Broos added.

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South Africa drew 1-1 with Nigeria, affecting their World Cup qualification chances. Bafana Bafana’s next match will be away against Zimbabwe in a month, and a win would secure their spot in the World Cup.

Reminder: The match between South Africa and Nigeria ended in a draw, putting Bafana Bafana’s World Cup qualification on hold.