South Africa manager Hugo Broos is disappointed his side could not beat Nigeria to reach the finals of the ongoing AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast.
After a 1-1 draw after extra time, the Super Eagles defeated the Bafana Bafana 4-2 in a thrilling penalty shootout to go to the continental showpiece final.
The encounter at Bouake ended in a spectacular fashion when the referee used video assistance to reject a goal by Victor Osimhen, giving South Africa a penalty instead of giving Nigeria a 2-0 lead.
Teboho Mokoena scored the penalty kick in the ninetieth minute to send the game into overtime, but the Super Eagles prevailed despite Mokoena’s and two other South African players’ spot kicks being saved by goalie Stanley Nwabali.
“Football can be very difficult and unpredictable. My team played very well but it’s sad we lost on penalties and we aren’t in the final, it’s hard to accept it because we played a very good game” he said.
South Africa will now face DR Congo in the third-place match scheduled for Saturday, February 10, 2023.