South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos, expressed confidence that his team will be well-prepared for their upcoming semi-final match against Nigeria. The Bafana Bafana secured their place in the semi-finals following an exhilarating penalty shootout victory over Cape Verde on Saturday night.
This will be the first time since 2000 that Broos’ side will be competing in the semi-finals.
“When we got to the penalty shootout, it was a special thing for the players, because during training they were scoring them. When we have a goalkeeper who stops 4 penalty kicks, this is not luck but a lot of hard work,”Broos was quoted by CAFonline.
“Not many people in South Africa believed in this team, but we believed in it, and the players believed in themselves as well. Reaching the semi-finals is in itself a good thing for South African football.
“There was a lot of pressure in the match. Everyone wanted to qualify. This match was unlike the previous ones. We did not show the same performance as we had in previous matches.
“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, which has good players like Lookman. We will not lose focus. The players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation”.
The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.