Broos praises Bafana’s resilience after World Cup qualifier win

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has praised his troops’ performance after they secured a crucial 3-0 win over Lesotho on Friday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.

The victory sees Bafana maintain their healthy five-point lead at the top of Group C in the qualifiers as they look to book their ticket for the global showpiece.

In the Lesotho tie, Broos was particularly impressed with how his squad, depleted by a string of injuries before the match, managed to rise to the occasion.

“It was not so easy, we were very nervous after all that happened before,” said Broos.”But we did what we had to do. We made beautiful goals.” The goals came from Mohau Nkota, Lyle Foster, and Oswin Appollis, with Nkota’s strike marking his first for the national team.

South Africa’s resilience was tested further during the game, as right-back Nyiko Mobbie and central defender Thabo Moloisane were both forced off with head injuries. Their replacements, Zuko Mdunyelwa and Khulumani Ndumane, performed admirably.

Broos expressed confidence in his substitutes, noting, “I said before that from what I saw in training, those guys were ready. It was Zuko’s first game, and he did very well, but I always believed in that. What I saw in training this week gave me confidence.”

Despite the commanding win, Broos emphasised that the job is not yet done. Bafana will face Nigeria at the same venue on Tuesday before wrapping up their qualifiers next month against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

“We have to go on now, that is the most important thing,” he said. “We have still not qualified, even if we are in a very good position. We have it in our hands so we must try not to give it away, and in one month hopefully, we can have a big party.”

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