AFCON 2023: South Africa’s Hugo Broos maintains enthusiasm ahead of semi-final clash against Nigeria

Ademola Lookman scored the only goal of the game as Nigeria defeated the Angolans in the quarter final of the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast.

South Africa coach, Hugo Broos, has remained optimistic about his side’s match-up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria as both sides face off in the AFCON 2023 semi-final, Soccernet.ng reports.

Broos, 71, has been in charge of the Bafana Bafana since 2021, and has led the South Africans to the semi-final of the AFCON 2023 tournament.

It was an intense time on the bench for the Belgian tactician as his side went into a penalty shoot-out against Cape Verde before their goalkeeper, Ronwen Hayden Williams came up trumps, saving four penalties for the one-time AFCON Champions.

Speaking in his post-match conference, the former Club Brugge manager mentioned that his side will be well-prepared for the clash against Jose Peseiro’s men in Bouake on Wednesday.

“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, which has good players like Lookman. We will not lose focus, the players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation,” the former Cameroon coach said.

Speaking on his side’s hard-fought win over Cape Verde, the coach expresses how he went through the motions on the touchline.

“Let’s say six hours ago I was 71, now I’m 75. It was a stressful game, certainly the penalties. You know what happens when you have to take penalties, it’s a very special situation for the players,” the coach added.

The goalkeepers of both teams, Stanley Nwabali and Ronwen Hayden Williams, have kept four clean sheets in Ivory Coast.