Cape Town – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has warned that South Africa will not progress far at AFCON unless they toughen up and show greater concentration and aggression.
His comments followed Bafana’s 3-2 win over Zimbabwe, in which they twice surrendered the lead before a late Oswin Appollis penalty secured second place in Group B and a spot in the last 16.
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Broos expressed concern over his team’s recurring failure to protect leads, saying they have been “soft and weak” in recent matches, including against Angola and Egypt.
AFCON 2025 | Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has expressed dissatisfaction with some players’ performances at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. pic.twitter.com/2RXDXnb65L
— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 29, 2025
“This is something I am worried about because it happened again in this game and against Angola. Even in the first half against Egypt, we were soft and weak, we were not determined in duels and there was no aggression,” said Broos during the post-match conference.
“We started with aggression in the first 20 minutes against Zimbabwe, but we took the foot off the pedal and gave the opportunity to the opponent to get back in the game.
He stressed that Bafana cannot afford such lapses against stronger opponents like Ivory Coast or Cameroon, whom they face next in Rabat.
👴🏻 Hugo Broos
“Everything was okay, then suddenly we fell asleep again. That has to change.” #sabcsport411 🇿🇦pic.twitter.com/bjEBElmjfZ
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“We must learn to have concentration because it is either Ivory Coast or Cameroon in the next round and we can’t play like that against them. If we do that, we have no chance to win that game.”
The coach added that a change in mentality is crucial, urging his players to give 100% in every game, remain focused, and fight harder if they hope to advance beyond the knockout stage.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
