‘Bafana don’t have enough sharpness, good Lord was with us!’ – Broos

Published on by Willis Sob

The Belgian is anticipating a better outing in the next international break after struggling to get results in the current one.

South Africa coach Hugo Broos has conceded his team was lucky to get four points from their last two Group K matches in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

On Friday at the Orlando Stadium, Bafana Bafana needed a late strike by Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha to force a 2-2 draw with Uganda Cranes.

The Buccaneers man, coincidentally, scored again in the stoppages on Tuesday at Juba Stadium to force a 3-2 win against South Sudan.

Good Lord was with Bafana Bafana

Thalente Mbatha Bafana Bafana
Thalente Mbatha, Bafana Bafana, Image – Safa

Broos has now conceded his team is still not there yet, and was lucky to get a draw and a win respectively.

“We don’t have enough sharpness in our game because of the lack of competitive games. 80% of my team of 23 players only played friendly games because the [PSL] didn’t start in South Africa,” the Belgian stated.

“So when we play Uganda and South Sudan, who are very aggressive, very dedicated on the field, you have to be as sharp as they are, and that’s not the case at the moment for South Africa.

“[This] weekend the competition begins in South Africa, and in October we will be sharper [for the next games]. It was my fear for these two games, I saw South Sudan and Uganda, and it was a fear we had a lack of sharpness and yeah it was like that.

“We’re lucky that the good Lord was with us in those two games, that we scored in the 94th and today in the 95th minute,” the 72-year-old added.

What Broos is targeting from Congo

In October, Bafana will be playing back-to-back matches against the Red Devils of Congo. The Congolese started their campaign with a 1-0 win over South Sudan before losing 2-0 to Uganda.

South Sudan vs Bafana: Preview, possible line-up, time & where to watch
Bafana Bafana players in a match against Uganda

“We’re first with Uganda on four points, Congo has three points, so I think we’re in a good position, but I think the two games in October against Congo will be key games, key games in the way that, if we can have at least four points from six, that should be a very good thing,” Broos continued.

“Then we have South Sudan at home, I don’t say we will win before a game, but if you want to qualify you need to win your home games, and I think after those games, if we have four from six, we can be qualified already. So next month is very important with two important games.”

‘Bafana don’t have enough sharpness, good Lord was with us!’ – Broos

Willis Sob

Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.