Broos confident Bafana will rise when AFCON test begins

By Omphile Mokwena

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos conceded that South Africa were below their best in their 1–0 win over Ghana at Dobsonville Stadium, but said the performance has not shaken his belief that the team will be ready for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) challenge.

South Africa needed a moment of individual quality to settle the friendly, with Sipho Mbule producing a long-range strike in the second half. While the goal secured the result, Broos was left with concerns about the overall rhythm and intensity of his side’s play, particularly with the tournament now just days away.

Despite the flat display, the Belgian-born coach remains confident that Bafana Bafana will respond when the pressure increases in competitive action. South Africa open their AFCON campaign against Angola next Monday at the Marrakesh Stadium, a fixture Broos has identified as key to setting the tone for the group stage.

“Surely, we will start the AFCON with another state than two years ago, but it was not the case today,” Broos said. “We didn’t feel pressure. It was a friendly game. You want to win it, but next Monday, when the game starts against Angola, the pressure will be a little bit higher than two years ago when we played against Mali.”

Broos believes the current squad is better prepared to cope with that pressure, drawing confidence from South Africa’s recent run of competitive international matches. He pointed to the World Cup qualification campaign as evidence that the team has grown in maturity and resilience.

“I think this team can resist that pressure,” he said. “We showed that in the qualifiers for the World Cup. There were some very important games, under pressure, that we did very well.”

The coach also stressed that the friendly against Ghana served a specific purpose in the build-up to the tournament. With some players managing fitness levels and others still finding rhythm, Broos said the focus was on maintaining readiness rather than forcing a peak performance.

Bafana Bafana have been drawn in a demanding group that also includes Egypt and Zimbabwe. A positive result against Angola would ease the path through the first round and reduce pressure ahead of the remaining fixtures.

For Broos, the message is clear: the performance at Dobsonville is not the standard the team expects to set at AFCON. With preparations nearly complete, South Africa’s attention now turns to delivering when the tournament begins, as Bafana Bafana look to translate recent experience into results on the continental stage.