Broos praises Bafana’s fighting spirit after Nigeria draw

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos lauded the fighting spirit of his men after they secured a crucial 1-1 draw against Nigeria in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C clash at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

In a physical and fiercely contested match on Tuesday night, Bafana stood toe-to-toe with the Super Eagles, with the draw pushing them one step closer to securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

“We survived today, and the way we played Nigeria was the right way,” Broos told SuperSport TV after the match. “It was not such good football, but the fighting spirit was there, and I am very proud of the team.”

Bafana started the game with impressive, slick passing, which proved too much for the visitors early on. Broos’ side took a deserved lead in the 25th minute when a low cross from Mohau Nkota was deflected into the net by Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong for an own goal.

However, Nigeria found a controversial equaliser on the stroke of halftime. Calvin Bassey appeared to use his arm to guide the ball into the net, but the goal stood, levelling the score.

The draw has all but ended Nigeria’s chances of topping Group C, while Bafana now need just one more win from their remaining matches against Rwanda or Zimbabwe to qualify.

“Now we need one more win, and we go to America,” Broos added. “I hope we can do it as soon as possible. In the first half-hour, we played very good football. But they have so much power in their team, and they started to use it. My team also has power, and you saw in the second half we fought for every ball, for every meter. We tried to win, but today it was not possible; there was too much fighting.”

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