‘Hunger is big’ in South Africa squad to reach Afcon final, says coach Hugo Broos
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South Africa's goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saving a penalty during their shoot-out win over Cape Verde on Feb 3.
PHOTO: AFP
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YAMOUSSOUKRO – South Africa coach Hugo Broos said his team’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) campaign must already be considered a success, after they reached the last four on Feb 3 but the veteran Belgian insisted “the hunger is big” to go all the way to the final.
Bafana Bafana beat Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties in the last eight after a goal-less 120 minutes in the Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro, with goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams producing a remarkable four saves in the shoot-out.
“Let’s say six hours ago I was 71, now I am 75. It was a very stressful game, certainly with penalties,” admitted Broos.
South Africa, the winners in 1996, are now into their first Afcon semi-final since 2000 and will face much-fancied Nigeria on Feb 7.
“Today I saw and felt that my players were really nervous. There was a lot of pressure because everyone wanted to qualify for the semi-finals, and we didn’t play like in our previous matches,” added Broos, whose team had beaten Morocco 2-0 against the odds in the last 16.
They will again be the underdogs against Victor Osimhen’s Super Eagles in Bouake, leaving Broos to claim his side “have nothing to lose”.
“It is maybe bizarre for me to say this, but for us our Afcon has already been a success. We are in the semi-finals. Nobody thought we would do that when we left South Africa to come here.
“There will be less pressure on us, I am certain of that. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to play the final, certainly not.”
Broos has revived the fortunes of South Africa, having taken over following their failure to qualify for the last Afcon in 2022.
While many of Africa’s leading national sides lean heavily on players who belong to leading European clubs, Broos’s squad are almost entirely comprised of stars from the South African league.
His starting line-up against Cape Verde, which was unchanged for a fourth successive game, featured eight players from the country’s dominant club Mamelodi Sundowns.
In the other quarter-final on Feb 3, Oumar Diakite was the hero as hosts Ivory Coast staged another remarkable salvage operation to reach the semi-finals.
A brilliant back-heel by the substitute in added time at the end of extra time in Bouake gave the Elephants a 2-1 victory over Mali, who dominated much of the quarter-final and scored first.
Nene Dorgeles put Mali ahead on 71 minutes against the host nation, who were reduced to 10 men just before half-time when Odilon Kossounou was sent off. But another Ivorian substitute, Simon Adingra, levelled in the 90th minute to take it into extra time.
Ivory Coast-born Nene Dorgeles (#27) put Mali ahead on 71 minutes against the host nation
PHOTO: AFP
With penalties looming, Diakite back-heeled a drive from a teammate past Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Diakite, who had been yellow-carded earlier, took off his shirt when celebrating, leading to a second caution followed by a red card.
Victory came at a high price as suspensions rule Diakite, Kossounou, captain Serge Aurier and Christian Kouame out of the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo on Feb 7.
“After this kind of match, there are no real things to explain, it is just emotions,” said Diakite, who plays for French Ligue 1 outfit Reims. “My joy was so great that I forgot that I had a yellow card. It was a mistake on my part.
“Even if I am not there, we can do the job (and reach the final).” AFP, REUTERS
