Bafana made it as far as the last 16 in Morocco after ending as runners up in Group B behind leaders Egypt with two wins and a loss
Supporters will argue that Hugo Broos’ side should have overcome Cameroon to secure their place in the quarter-finals against the tournament hosts.
But after missing a number of gilt-edge opportunities to win the game, Bafana ultimately went down 2-1 after goals from Junior Tchamadeu (34′) and Christian Kofane (47′), with only Evidence Makgopa (88′) on target late on for the 2023 AFCON semi-finalists.
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Aubaas explained that Bafana will come back stronger when they kick off the World Cup against Mexico at Estadio Azteca on June 11.
“The boys fought really hard, but obviously it was not the result we wanted as a country. We will do better next time,” Aubaas said on IOL.
“We are very disappointed to have been knocked out in the round of 16. We wanted to push harder to reach the next round, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
“It was a learning curve and a lesson. We had a lot of chances that we didn’t convert, while they only had two chances and scored.
“In the next tournament, we need to ensure we convert our opportunities so we can progress further.”