South Africa head coach Hugo Broos revealed his team's mindset ahead of the World Cup qualifier clash against Nigeria.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said his team will not go into the World Cup qualifier clash with revenge at the back of their mind, as the occasion is enough motivation.
The Super Eagles trumped South Africa via penalty shootouts on their way to the AFCON 2023 final and will play Broos’s side on Friday, June 7th, for the first time since the tournament, in Group C of CAF’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
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What Broos said
Ahead of the away match against Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Broos, the South Africa boss, explained his team's motivations.
The 72-year-old explained that they are not fueled by revenge and that they do not have to win the game at all costs, as there are still a number of games to play in the group.
“We want to have a good result against Nigeria because this is a qualifier for the World Cup and we don’t think about revenge,” Broos said, per IOL.
“Losing the game should not be a disaster because, after that, we still have six games to play, but I would rather not have a defeat to Nigeria.”
Broos also believes that they commanded respect from the Super Eagles with their performance at the AFCON, pushing the three-time champions to extra-time and then penalties.
“We know all about them but they also know all about us. I think they will not start the game with the same mentality they had at AFCON because they know how strong we are.”
“We have to use our status of being the team that finished third at Afcon but at the same time, we must stay humble. We still have to work, fight and produce the same mentality we showed at AFCON.”
South Africa, after one win and a defeat, sit second in Group C. They are one place above Nigeria in third place after two draws. Rwanda lead the pack with one win and a draw.
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