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Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has stressed the need to urgently confirm their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following their draw with Nigeria.
Bafana were held to a 1-1 draw by the Super Eagles in their eighth qualification match, and are just three points away from their big dream with two matches to play.
Matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda on home soil await next month, and Broos wants to secure qualification as early as possible.
"If South Africa of two years ago would have played against Nigeria today, we would have lost. We knew in the second half that we couldn't win the game by playing football but by fighting, and that is what we tried," said Broos.
"We fought as much as our opponents, we were as physical as our opponents, and I think the result is the right result – none of the two teams deserved to win.
"But I think we did the best operation with this point, and now we need one victory and we have two opportunities, so let's try to do it as soon as possible."
The Belgian tactician says they had to be very tactful in this game against a Super Eagles team that was heavily reliant on physical strength at Free State Stadium.
"On one side a team wants to play football, on the other side a team tried to win the game by power – so we did it very well in the first half hour, but after that, yeah, it was Nigeria who tried by a physical game to come back, and they did," he added.
"If we would have defended a bit more aggressively, their goal would never have come, firstly, and secondly it was a handball. But ok, it was 1-1 and then you know you can expect from a team like Nigeria that they would play another [type of] football.
"And it was like that, but when you see what progression South Africa has made in that level of football, it's enormous."
