Bafana players reveal Broos’ ‘hairdryer’ that sparked win over Angola

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Bafana players reveal Broos’ ‘hairdryer’ that sparked win over Angola

Bafana Bafana players have lifted the lid on coach Hugo Broos’ halftime pep talk that sparked them into life against Angola in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations opener on Monday.

South Africa went ahead courtesy of Oswin Appollis’ 21st minute strike but Show cancelled it out with a cleverly taken strike in the 35th minute and the Angolans then had chances to go ahead with Ronwen William’s saves proving crucial.

Teboho Mokoena, Evidence Makgopa and Nkosinathi Sibisi celebrate AFCON win over Angola. Photo – SAFA

That nervous first-half performance did not impress Broos and he made his feelings known to his players, who responded in a great way with Tshepang Moremi unlucky to see his goal chopped off for offside, before Lyle Foster curled in the winner 11 minutes from time.  

Bafana players reveal Broos’ talk

“It is good to start the tournament with a victory,” defender Nkosinathi Sibisi told SuperSport TV. “We know the pressure of not winning your first game, you have to go through your second and third game with pressure. For us now, it is a bit relaxed but not complacent. We are taking the result as it comes,” said Sibisi.

His Orlando Pirates teammate and scorer Appollis echoed his sentiments, admitting the veteran tactician applied pressure on them to ensure they started the tournament in victorious fashion.

“The coach wanted us to win the first game like Sibisi said. He put a bit of pressure on us so I am very happy that we managed to get the first three points,” said Appollis.

What sparked second-half fight?

Goalkeeper Ricardo Goss went into details over how Broos got a reaction from his team.

Oswin Appollis celebrates his goal against Angola with Lyle Foster and Aubrey Modiba. Photo - SAFA
Oswin Appollis celebrates his goal against Angola with Lyle Foster and Aubrey Modiba. Photo – SAFA

“The coach’s words, we knew that we gave away a cheap goal but it is still the early stages so we can’t be hard on ourselves,” said Goss.

“We need to be careful for the coming games and the coach was motivating in the changing room and a bit disappointed in us because I feel we were a bit nervous. Obviously, in a tournament like this, there are a bit of nerves and I think his talks kind of helped us to get back to our winning ways,” he added.

South Africa will take on Egypt in their second match on Friday with both sides having won their opening games 2-1.

<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.

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