Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is thrilled with his team’s dominant 3-0 victory over Lesotho, a win that brings them significantly closer to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The goals came from Mohau Nkota, Lyle Foster, and Oswin Appollis in a one-sided affair at the Toyota Stadium.
The win puts South Africa five points clear of second-placed Benin and sets the stage for a critical clash with third-placed Nigeria on Tuesday.
Read: Bafana Bafana Receives Major Boost Ahead of Super Eagles Showdown
Broos expressed his satisfaction with the performance, particularly given the recent injury setbacks. “It was not so easy, we were very nervous after all that happened before,” he told SABC Sport.
“But we did what we had to do. We made beautiful goals. We were never in danger and with all the injuries we had, the guys who came in did really well.”
The coach was forced to make several last-minute changes to his squad, including replacing Ime Okon with Thabo Moloisane and Patrick Maswanganyi with Sipho Mbule.
Additionally, right-back Nyiko Mobbie was ruled out of the Nigeria game after sustaining a head injury against Lesotho and has been replaced by Thabiso Monyane.
Broos was confident in his replacements, noting that their performance in training gave him faith. “What I saw in training this week gave me confidence,” he said, praising Zuko who stepped in and “did very well” in his first World Cup qualifier.
Despite their strong position, Broos remains cautious. “We have still not qualified, even if we are in a very good position. There are still three games,” he reminded everyone. “We have it in our hands so we must try not to give it away and in one month hopefully we can have a big party.”
The highly anticipated clash between Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles is set to take place in Bloemfontein at the Toyota Stadium. Kick off is set for 18h00 on Tuesday, 09 September 2025.