Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos admitted his side’s World Cup dream is no longer in their hands but remains hopeful of a late twist in the qualifying race.
South Africa’s 0-0 draw with Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night dealt a heavy blow to their campaign, leaving them second in Group C with 15 points — two behind Benin, who edged Rwanda away to seize control of the standings.
Bafana will now host Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, while Benin jet off to face Nigeria in Uyo in what promises to be a tense finale to the group. For Broos and his men, only victory will suffice — and even then, they must pray for a favour from the Super Eagles.
“The problem is we don’t have it in our hands anymore and we have to try and win the game on Tuesday and see what happens after, but it’s still possible,” Broos said.
“It has become more difficult than before this game, but still we have to keep believing, and maybe with a little miracle on Tuesday, we can still qualify. It’s a really sad evening, but there is still hope.”
Despite the setback, Broos refused to fault his players’ performance, insisting they left everything on the pitch against a stubborn Zimbabwe outfit that defended deep and frustrated the hosts for long spells.
“I’m just disappointed about the result and not the performance of the team,” said the Belgian tactician. “They tried everything and fought for it but didn’t have luck on their side, so I can’t look at the players because we tried everything, but the ball just didn’t fall in the right place.”
Broos urged his players to recover quickly and channel their frustration into a spirited finish in front of the Mbombela crowd.
“We will be down for one or two days, but we need to be ready for Tuesday and become a team that believes in itself again,” he said.
However, the match ended on a sour note when young defender Mbokazi was sent off in stoppage time for violent conduct after an altercation with a Zimbabwe attacker. Broos, while disappointed by the dismissal, showed understanding for the teenager’s reaction.
“That shows a little bit of the mentality of Mbokazi — he got frustrated,” Broos explained.
“He knew that with the result we’d be in trouble and the aggression of the Zimbabwe player made him nervous, but I don’t blame him for it, he’s only 19. He plays like he wants to win, so what more do I want from him? You can’t accept it, but you have to understand it.”
The focus now shifts to Mbombela, where Broos will demand a strong response from a group that has shown resilience before. For Bafana, it’s win — or watch their World Cup dream fade.
