South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has hit back at his critics after guiding Bafana Bafana to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the country's history.
The South Africans secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea on Wednesday to finish second in Group A and book their place in the next round of the tournament.
Bafana Bafana, making only their fourth World Cup appearance, were heavily criticised following their opening 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico. However, they bounced back with a draw against the Czech Republic before sealing qualification with a decisive win over South Korea in Monterrey.
Speaking after the match, Broos expressed pride in his players and said their achievement had silenced those who doubted the team.
“I’m very proud of the performance of my team. I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths over the past few weeks who thought we needed to change everything,” the Belgian coach said.
“We stayed true to what we believed in and this is the result.”
The breakthrough came courtesy of Thapelo Maseko’s second-half goal, which proved enough to secure South Africa’s place in the knockout rounds behind group winners Mexico, who finished with a perfect record.
For Broos, 74, the achievement carries extra significance as he approaches the latter stages of his coaching career.
“I’ve said before that this could be one of the last World Cups of my career. To experience something like this at this stage is something every coach dreams about,” he said.
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The veteran coach also credited the strong bond he has built with his players since taking charge of the national team in 2021.
“The relationship between me and the players is special. I’m their coach, but I’m also their friend. There’s a lot of trust between us and that has helped us achieve something historic,” he added.
South Africa’s attention now turns to a difficult knockout clash against co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a place in the last 16 at stake.
Broos believes his side is capable of creating even more history.
“The players will be ready again. Reaching the next round would be even more historic. They are determined to keep proving people wrong and showing that South Africa is a good team,” he said.
“We’ll see on Sunday if we can go even further.”
