Bafana suffered defeat to Morocco in last night’s AFCON qualifiers, but coach Hugo Broos isn’t disappointed in what he saw.
The Belgian coach was speaking after yesterday’s game in which Morocco came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored early in the second half to cancel out Lyle Foster’s opener before Ayoub El Kaabi broke Bafana hearts with a goal in the 87th minute.
Following the game, Broos added that he was not displeased by what he saw from his team against a star-studded Moroccan side, KickOff reported.
“It’s not the result we wanted. For a long time in the game, I thought we could win, then after the first goal we conceded I was happy to take one point. To concede the second goal so close to the end was disappointing,” he said.
Broos added that his side fought hard against a very strong Moroccan side, which was good and hoped that they can do it twice in September when they play Liberia twice.
While he wasn’t disappointed with the overall performance, the 70-year-old Broos was not impressed with the manner in which the second goal was conceded, iDiskiTimes reported.
South Africa were down to ten men after Sphephelo Sithole was off the field receiving treatment. Yusuf Maart then gave the ball away cheaply and Morocco capitalised on the man advantage to score the winner.
Relentless Morocco breaks Bafana Bafana hearts with a late goal in Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
Morocco scored a late goal to deny South Africa a hard-earned point in the Group K opener of the AFCON qualifiers. Morocco started the game much stronger and dominated much of the first half.
The second half was played at a slower tempo than the first half, but both sides had chances to kill the game off.
Yusuf Maart and Percy Tau both squandered Bafana’s best chances, while Williams was once again called into action to save Bafana’s blushes. Ayoub El Kaabi broke Bafana hearts when he smashed home a volley in the 87th minute of the game to claim victory.
Bongokuhle Hlongwane underlines importance of Bafana beating Morocco, Percy Tau chases South African record
Bafana are hours away from getting their AFCON qualifiers underway and striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane is ready for the clash against Morocco, Sports Brief earlier reported.
The South African forward, who plays for Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer, is confident that the team understands the importance of the game.
Hlongwane will be leading the South African line along with the likes of Khanyisa Mayo, Evidence Makgopa, Lyle Foster, Thembinkosi Lorch and Percy Tau.
Source: SportsBrief
