South Africa head coach Hugo Broos praised his players following their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Nigeria on Friday night.
Bafana Bafana were impressive in the game played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
Thembo Zwane’s first half strike for Bafana was cancelled by Fisayo Dele -Bashiru which earned the Super Eagles a share of the spoils.
The former African champions now have four points from three games and remain in contention to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
While speaking with journalists after the game, Broos said: “I have to congratulate my players. As you know or you don’t know, we had a terrible travel to Nigeria on Wednesday.
“We were only in bed at two o’clock on Thursday morning. So we were 20 hours on the way. And when you see the mentality in the team today, then I can only be proud about my players.”
“We arrived here at about 2am Thursday morning and of course, there was fatigue amongst the players. Yet, they were able to tenaciously hold their ground, despite the intensity of the match. That was because they know why we’re here.
“When you put together these things, and the fact that a point against Nigeria in Nigeria is not an easy result, I say, its a good result, for us, and the Super Eagles.”
Broos and his team would feel lucky after referee waved away a penalty appeal by the home team when a defender hauled Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The Belgian said it’s time FIFA introduced VAR in the qualifying stages of the World Cup.
“Not having VAR at this stage is not the best because we know that a single goal can determine a team’s fate in a game,” he said.
“And FIFA should do well to get VAR into the qualification campaigns.”
The 72-year-old Belgian admitted completely that the gap between the so-called big teams and the supposedly small teams has closed.
South Africa will take on Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein on Tuesday while the Eagles will face the Cheetahs of Benin Republic same day at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
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