Broos calm ahead of AFCON despite Bafana’s scrappy win over Ghana

Hugo Broos is far too experienced a coach to be overly concerned by pre-tournament jitters. After watching Bafana Bafana grind out a 1-0 victory over Ghana in their final warm-up match before flying to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, the silver-haired Belgian expressed disappointment with the performance but understood why it occurred.

“Many times, a few days before a big tournament, it is not the game you want to see," Broos said. "But I am happy with the result.

"It is always better to go to Morocco with a victory than a draw or, in the worst case, a defeat. We can do much better than we did (Tuesday)."

The septuagenarian, who won the biennial continental showpiece with Cameroon in 2017, has worked with many players and understands their mentality.

“Maybe the tournament next week was already on the players’ minds, and they thought, ‘I don’t want to be injured today’. For the new boys, it was a big step up to suddenly play at that level.”

Watched by a partisan crowd that cheered, sang and chanted throughout, Bafana dominated possession but struggled to break down Ghana, until Sipho Mbule struck with a superb effort from outside the box.

Broos had previously voiced concerns over the team’s apparent lapse in tactical awareness during training, which showed during the match. However, the starting XI was not the one he plans to field against Angola in the tournament opener on Monday (kick-off 7pm).

“I am not worried because a few important players are joining us on Friday, and we still have four days to do the finishing touches. I am sure we will be ready to play Angola,” he said.

Broos acknowledges that the pressure of the tournament will be different, but remains confident his team will be able to cope.

“Surely we will start AFCON with a different status from two years ago, when Bafana were not given any chance and surprised by finishing third. Today was a friendly, but we still wanted to win.

"Monday, the pressure against Angola will be higher than when we played Mali in the opener of the previous tournament in Ivory Coast. But we can handle that pressure.

"We showed it in the World Cup qualifiers in games against Nigeria and Rwanda. This team has experience, so I am not worried.”

Broos knows the opener against Angola will be a tough, must-win affair.

“I saw Angola playing in the qualifiers," Broos said. "They drew one game and lost another 1-0.

"If they played that game 10 times, they would win it nine times. They are a good team, technically strong, with a new coach motivating them. It will be a tough match, but I believe in my team.

"We’ve beaten better opponents before, so we must believe in ourselves. Angola will not give us presents — we will have to work for the win. It doesn’t have to be 2-0 or 3-0, just a win,” Broos concluded.