BROOS PRAISES BAFANA SPIRIT AFTER CZECH REPUBLIC DRAW

South Africa coach Hugo Broos praised his team’s determination after they fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic and keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Bafana Bafana fell behind after just six minutes but showed resilience throughout the contest before Teboho Mokoena converted a late penalty to rescue a point.

“I think that we played a very good game today except for one moment in the beginning of the first half,” Broos said. “At World Cup level, if you make a mistake, you pay the price.”

The Belgian coach felt South Africa deserved more from the match after dominating large spells of the second half.

“Besides that mistake, I saw a very, very good game,” he said. “I think we deserved more today because sometimes you need a little bit of luck.”

The draw leaves South Africa with one point from two matches, meaning victory against South Korea in their final Group A fixture could be required to reach the Round of 32.

“If we can make another performance like today, I think we have a chance to go to the second round,” Broos added.

Looking ahead to the decisive clash, he expects a different challenge.

“Today it was a tough game because of the physicality of the Czechs, but against South Korea, it will be more about discipline in the group and also their powerful running.”