UMQEQESHI weBafana Bafana, uHugo Broos, ulamukele iphuzu abalithole kwiNigeria ekuhambeni emdlalweni wokuhlungela umqhudelwano weNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2026.
IBafana idlale ngokulingana ngo 1-1 eGodswill Akpabio International Stadium, e-Uyo, eNigeria ngoLwesihlanu ebusuku. Igoli leBafana lishaywe nguThemba Zwane, iSuper Eagles yaphendulelwa nguFisayo Dele Bashiru zibuya ekhefini. IBafana isisendaweni yesine kuGroup C ngamaphuzu amane emuva kwemidlalo emithathu. Iyalingana ngamaphuzu neBenin neRwanda eyahlula abafana bakaBroos ezinyangeni ezedlule. INigeria isendaweni yesihlanu kuleli qoqo osekuqhwakele kulona iLesotho ngamaphuzu ayisihlanu ngemuva kokwehlula iZimbabwe ngoLwesihlanu.
UBroos uthe kubafanele ababuye nakho eNigeria phezu kwezingqinamba abahlangabezane nazo.
“Umphumela uwuwona (owufanele umdlalo), ukudlala ngokulingana. Siwatholile amathuba neNigeria iwatholile amathuba. Ngiyababongela abadlali bami njengoba wazi ukuthi sibe nohambo olubi olubheke eNigeria ngoLwesithathu. Silale ngehora lesibili ekuseni ngoLwesine. Ngakho sihambe amahora angu-20. Kodwa uma ngibona umqondo weqembu namuhla, ngiyaziqhenya ngabadlali bami,” kusho uBroos.
Nakuba iBafana iphume nephuzu kodwa iwatholile amathuba okushaya amanye amagoli kodwa yahlulela ukuwasebenzisa, ikakhulukazi uPercy Tau no-Elias Mokwana.
“Bekuwumdlalo onzima sibhekene neqembu elinzima kodwa esiwombeni sokuqala sidlale kahle. Siwatholile amathuba futhi bekufanele sishaye igoli lesibili. Sibe nebhadi nje ukuthi emuva kwemizuzu emibili esiwombeni sesibili singenelwe yigoli. Emuva kwalokho besazi ukuthi kuzobanzima. Kodwa sikulwele (ukungahlulwa) kusukela ngomzuzu ka-46 kuya koka-95. Ngicabanga ukuthi umphumela ufanele,”kusho uBroos.
Emdlalweni olandelayo wokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba, iBafana izobhekana neZimbabwe eFree State Stadium, ngoLwesibili ngo-6 ntambama.