Mngqithi points out where Broos went wrong in Bafana’s AFCON loss to Cameroon

Bafana Bafana were eliminated from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Sunday after falling 2-1 to Cameroon at the Agdal Medina Stadium.

The 1996 winners had some good chances to win the game but failed to take them as the players lacked composure in the final third. It was a massive blow for the Hugo Broos’ men who are also preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has now pointed out where he feels the Belgian messed in Morocco, which contributed to his team’s exit from the biennial competition.

We didn’t have the composure

“Considering that we went to half-time already trailing, I expected that we would use that stoppage to improve our attacking play more especially on the left channel, because we had already seen like coach Steve [Komphela] is saying, like ‘Legs of Thunder’ [Jerry Sikhosana] is saying we had created chances in that left channel,” he told SABC.

“But we did not have the composure, the tenacity to be able to create something out of it. I think had we made the substitution very early, as early as half-time of a [Aubrey] Modiba and maybe even on the on the central defenders.

“I could have taken one of the centre-backs between [Siyabonga] Ngezana and [Nkosinathi] Sibisi because very early they were already on a yellow to maybe play [Khuliso] Mudau closer as a lateral centre-back, so that I can bring in a [Tshepang] Moremi or a [Mohau] Nkota, or somebody that is going to cause problems to Nouho [Tolo], because Tolo got a yellow card very early in the game,” he added.

There was a big gap we didn’t exploit

“But we never really challenged that that much and I think had we tried to be a little bit more aggressive, because we already had three centre-backs,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach added.

“But now, if Mudau is going to play in front of [Oswin] Appollis who is sitting on the line, it becomes very difficult to use the numerical superiority that we would have in the wide channels.

“And the same thing on the other side, with Rele [Relebohile Mofokeng] being scared of the combats inside, he would try to drift to the outside. Then [Samkelo] Kabini and Rele now, and if you look behind [Lyle] Foster there is a big gap that we did not exploit,” Mngqithi further continued.

Bafana could have forced the centre-backs to come out

“I think the initial thinking as early as first half, was that there’d be Foster and the two wingers will come closer to Foster to form the double 10.

“Then you still have the workaholics of Teboho [Mokoena] and [Bathusi] Aubass behind then Mudau will be aggressive in the wide channels. And you expected a little bit better from Kabini, because I think a Modiba would have been the best option.

“You could even use a winger for that matter because if you saw the few moments where Moremi was on that left channel, because with the speed you needed to try to force those lateral centre-backs to try to come to you and open the space for a Mofokeng in between the lateral centre-back and the central centre-back to exploit that space by breaking the line and maybe find cut backs.

“But we did not get that, and we did not exploit the fact that their captain already had a yellow card very early in the match,” he concluded.