AFCON 2023: Semi-finals loss to Nigeria, hard to accept — S’Africa coach

Hugo Broos, the head coach of South Africa, believes his team played better in the semi-final encounter against Nigeria, which ended in a penalty shootout, with the latter winning 4-2.

The Bafana Bafana was a goal down before it came back to take the game to an extra time.

Broos, commenting on his side’s defeat in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday, said his team played better and deserved to win.

He said, “Football can be hard sometimes when you look at the performance of my team today (Wednesday), and then there were the penalty kicks. Then you lose the penalty shootout, and you are not in the finals.

“It’s hard to accept that because we played a very good game today. I think we were the best team in the first half, we got the best chances, Nigeria didn’t have any chance.

“In the second half, they had few chances, which resulted in a goal, and we changed something tactically, and we came back.”

Broos said his team created more chances, adding that if they converted them to goals, they would have been in the final instead of Nigeria.

However, the Belgian coach extolled his team for what has been a great tournament for them.

He said, “It’s a big disappointment for everyone, and we believe we played a very good game, not just today but throughout the tournament.

“I’m proud of my players. The disappointment is in not being in the final, but the pride is in having performed well.”

The third-place playoff between South Africa and DR Congo is on Saturday.

NAN