‘We fell asleep!’ – Broos fumes despite Bafana’s AFCON qualification

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has lifted the lid on his halftime “wake-up call” after South Africa narrowly edged Zimbabwe 3-2 on Monday night to book their spot in the AFCON Round of 16.

It was a rollercoaster evening at the Stade de Marrakech as Bafana secured qualification for a second successive tournament, but the Belgian mentor was far from pleased with how his side allowed the Warriors back into the game twice.

Despite a bright start that saw Tshepang Moremi open the scoring inside seven minutes, Bafana allowed Tawanda Maswanhise to level matters before the break, leaving Broos fuming in the dressing room.

Speaking to SABC Sport after the final whistle, Broos revealed his frustration with the team’s lack of focus in the 2025 AFCON.

It was an exciting, five-goal thriller but we are through!!#BafanaPride@10bet_ZA @CastleLagerSA @HonorAfrica @Shield_ZA @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/mQLt8TlVBQ

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) December 29, 2025

Broos Reveals Halftime ‘Wake-Up Call’ to Shaky Bafana At AFCON

“We started very well the game, we had chances and we scored so everything was okay,” Broos said. “Then, suddenly, we fell asleep again and conceded a goal to go to halftime 1-1. So, we talked to the players and said, ‘guys, come on, just do what you… like how you started the game.'”

Broos didn’t just use words to change the game; he made a decisive tactical move by hauling off midfielder Sphephelo “Yaya” Sithole for Bathusi Aubaas at the break. The coach was critical of the possession lost in the first 45 minutes.

“Defensively [Sithole] was okay, but once he had the ball, he lost many balls. Also, back-passes… every time they gave the ball to the opponents. With Bathusi, it was much better in the second half. We had control of the ball, and the passing was better.”

Learning to Close Games At AFCON

Even after regaining the lead through Lyle Foster and eventually winning it via an Oswin Appollis penalty, Broos warned that the “unnecessary” drama must stop if Bafana are to survive the AFCON knockout stages.

“At 2-1 you start making mistakes again. Many times we lost possession of the ball. And still we wanted to score the fourth? Why? Just keep the ball in the team! We played the game Zimbabwe wanted—losing the ball and the deep ball. We were in difficulties, and that has to stop. We have to work on it.”

Bafana Bafana finish Group B in second place with six points and now await their Round of 16 opponent, likely to be a high-profile clash in Rabat this coming Sunday.