Victory over Morocco has boosted our confidence: Broos

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Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says victory over tournament favourites Morocco, on Tuesday has boosted their confidence for Saturday’s quarter-final AFCON match against Cape Verde in the Ivory Coast.

However, the Belgian mentor says they will not underestimate Cape Verde but will they play at their best level like they did on Tuesday to beat the Islanders. Bafana Bafana last reached the semi-finals of the AFCON tournament in 2000 in Nigeria and Broos says the current crop of players are motivated to also reach the semis and go further.

Bafana Bafana have put Tuesday’s famous 2-nil victory over tournament favourites, Morocco, behind them. The team’s focus is now on Saturday’s game against Cape Verde with a semi-final spot at stake.

Broos says, “If you beat tournament favourites in Morocco it means you played well and that win has given us confidence that we will be ready for tomorrow’s match. We don’t underestimate Cape Verde they have quality, the players are very disciplined .”

The last time the team reached the semi-finals of the AFCON tournament was 24 years ago at the tournament staged in Nigeria. And the current crop of players’ goal is to emulate the 2000 Bafana Bafana squad and even go further than just the semi-finals.

Broos says, “It is a long time since the team has qualified for the semi-finals and we want to do that and the performance of the 1996 team gives us motivation.”

South Africa and Cape Verde have met five times previously with each side winning twice and one match drawn.

But the Islanders are the ones who won their recent last two meetings in 2017 which were FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the 2018 tournament.

However, the Blue Sharks coach Pedro Bito is well aware that the current Bafana Bafana team is different and they will work hard for victory.

Brito says “We don’t think anything about South Africa. The fact that we defeated them is in the past, we are going to focus on this match which is a direct elimination match. We know that the team of South Africa is solid and is quite strong.”