AFCON 2025
South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos, has praised his players for standing up to the challenge of the Super Eagles.
Bafana Bafana and Nigeria battled to a 1-1 draw in a keenly contested 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.
South Africa went in front after Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong bundled the ball into his own net in the 25th minute. The Super Eagles fought back, with Calvin Bassey nodding home Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s cross on the stroke of half-time.
Nigeria dominated the second half, searching for a winner, but Bafana Bafana stood firm at the back. Broos heaped plaudits on his players after the game for matching the physicality of their opponents.
“It was a match like I expected, a physical match, much harder from the opponent,” the Belgian said after the game. “It’s only in the second half when they tried to win the game with power football, but we also did a very good game.”
