Bafana Bafana have tasted that winning feeling at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and they want more.
After the disappointing loss to Mexico and draw with Czechia, South Africa managed a turnaround with a stunning performance to beat South Korea and seal a historic place in the knockout stage.
They take on co-hosts Canada, who forfeited their chance to host this match at home by failing to win Group B, in the last 32 at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday, looking to cause another major upset.
“When you are here, you want more, and we want to win the match on Sunday,” he said during his pre-match press conference on Saturday, where he asked his players to play like they did against South Korea.
“The further you go in the tournament, the more you want to win it, and this is the case with us.
“I think if we can show the same level and mentality we showed against South Korea, then we have a chance to win it. We are up against a tough team, and we will have to be at our best level, or otherwise it is going to be almost impossible.
“If we go to the third round, all I can say is that it will be a miracle for Bafana. This is important, and it doesn’t mean we are happy to play the game and go home.”
Broos said Canada are a difficult team to beat because of their physicality and pace.
“They are a physical team; they go for it from the first whistle to the 90th minute, and they are very tough to break down in the game. That means we are not going to be at peace because they like to press their opponents.
“They try to force you to make mistakes, and they do it as a team where 10 players on the pitch go for the same goal. It is very difficult when you are against an opponent like this.
“The moment they have the ball, everyone moves, and when they lose it, everyone wants it back, and it is very difficult to play against a team like that. They have other qualities, but for me those are the main ones.”
Bafana showed against Czechia that they can stand their ground against physical teams and, against South Korea, that they can cope with a team with pace.
“If we are dominated by their physical strength, it will be difficult to win against them. In the first game against Mexico we were overwhelmed by the occasion, and that will not happen again.
“That was the game where we learnt a lot, not only on the pitch but also what happens outside. We have adapted, and again that game against Mexico was good for us, and now we believe in ourselves even though we are up against a tough opponent on Sunday.
“We are going to fight for 90 minutes like we did in the previous games, and let’s hope we have a positive result and we can go to the third round. This World Cup is already a success for us; everybody hoped that we would make it to the second round, and we did it.”
TimesLIVE
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