“We had a terrible travel to Nigeria” — Hugo Broos on qualifier draw

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos lauded his team’s resilience following their hard-fought 1-1 draw with Nigeria on Friday night. The match, held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, saw a determined Bafana Bafana side secure a valuable point against the Super Eagles.

The encounter began with Thembo Zwane putting South Africa ahead in the first half. However, Nigeria’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru equalized, ensuring the spoils were shared in this competitive fixture.

Despite the travel challenges faced by the South African squad, Broos praised his players for their tenacity and strong mentality.

“I have to congratulate my players,” Broos said. “As you know or you don’t know, we had a terrible travel to Nigeria on Wednesday. We were only in bed at two o’clock on Thursday morning. So we were 20 hours on the way. And when you see the mentality in the team today, then I can only be proud about my players.”

The draw leaves Bafana Bafana with four points from three games, keeping them in the race to secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team’s next challenge is a match against Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.