AFCON 2023: 'We deserved to be in the final' - South Africa's Hugo Broos reflects on defeat to Nigeria

South Africa's players celebrate a goal|BAFANA BAFANA X

AFCON 2023: 'We deserved to be in the final' - South Africa's Hugo Broos reflects on defeat to Nigeria

Allan Damba • 10:25 - 08.02.2024

He added,” We created more chances, which means if we had scored, we would have been in the final and not Nigeria.

Despite a spirited display, South Africa's journey was ended by arch-nemesis Nigeria in the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

The Super Eagles sailed to the final at the expense of the Bafana Bafana via a 4-2 penalty shootout victory after it had ended one-all for 120 minutes of tense action.

Hugo Broos || Imago

Following the exit, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos expressed his frustration,  stressing his side had done enough to deserve a spot in the final.

“Football can be hard sometimes; when you see the performance of my team today, and then there are penalties, and then you lose the penalties, and you are not in the finals, it’s hard to accept that because we played a very good game today," he was quoted by CAF media.

“I think we were the best team in the first half, we got the best chances, Nigeria didn’t have any chance. Second half, they had few chances, which resulted in a goal, and we changed something tactically, and we could come back,” he said.

He added,” We created more chances, which means if we had scored, we would have been in the final and not Nigeria.

The Belgian tactician hailed his team for what has been a great tournament for them.

“It’s a big disappointment for everyone; we believe we played a very good game, not just today but throughout the tournament.  I’m proud of my players; the disappointment is this, but the proudness is that,” he concluded.

South Africa will now face D.R Congo in the third-place playoff on Saturday, while a day later, Nigeria will battle host Ivory Coast in the final.