Knockout phase still within reach – Hugo Broos

Broos was speaking after watching his team pick up their first point at this World Cup, after playing a 1-1 draw against Czechia at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atalanta yesterday.  

Bafana Bafana scored from Teboho Mokoena’s penalty very late in the game to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat, and Broos says they can build from this.

Reflecting on the team’s first-half performance, after conceding an early goal, Broos highlighted the lack of aggression in their game as another challenge. He explained Relebohile Mofokeng’s substitution changed the complexion of the game in the second half and brought back the real Bafana Bafana...

"I thought we were not aggressive enough in the first half when we lost the ball, so I gave this message to the players before the second half, and also the fact that we needed someone in the free space and Rele Mofokeng was the man for that to make us more dangerous. The guys were very determined and they showed a lot of perseverance because they wanted to win that game and that makes me very happy."

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Asked about the continued criticism from some quarters back home, Broos says people forget where they are coming from with Bafana Bafana, when he started this job five years ago.

The difficult part for Broos and his team will be to face the South Koreans without the services of Mokoena, who is suspended for the last game, after receiving his second yellow card in this tournament. The Belgian-born head coach says they won’t be short of options to replace Mokoena.

"It's a pity that we got those two yellow cards during a tournament in which we have to pay the price. They are not the weakest players in our team, they are some of the best players in our team so it's a problem we have to solve."