The tone of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has changed compared to how it was when his team were held to a goalless draw by lowly placed eSwatini at the FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Johannesburg, last Friday.
The change in Broos’ tone followed after his boys held their own as they drew 1-1 with the Elephants of Ivory Coast in an international friendly match at Felix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on Tuesday evening.
“Angry as I was on Friday, I’m pleased and happy. I think South Africa played a very good game against a very good team. There was a good mentality on the pitch and they played good football,” Broos remarked.
The 71-year-old Belgian, who is a former Indomitable Lions coach, was happy with more aspects of the game against the much-fancied Elephants.
“It was not only the defending, but the way we sometimes attacked, we put Ivory Coast in trouble. It’s a pity that the second half the biggest chance of the game we didn’t score,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bafana used the two international friendly matches against eSwatini and Ivory Coast to prepare for next month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin at home and Rwanda away.
