South Africa coach Hugo Broos admitted he took great satisfaction from his sideβs TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations semi-final qualification after years of pessimism surrounding Bafana Bafana.
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Broos guided the 1996 champions past Cape Verde on penalties on Saturday to set up a last four clash with Nigeria.
The Belgian believes the achievement can boost South African football after many had written off their chances before the tournament.
βMany people in South Africa didnβt believe in this team but we believed, and the players believed in themselves,β Broos stated after the quarter-final win.
βReaching the semi-finals is great for South African football which has struggled in recent years.β
Broos reserved special praise for goalkeeper Ronwen Williams whose shootout heroics were key to victory.
βWhen you have a keeper who saves four penalties itβs not luck. He was man of the match today,β said Broos.
The coach also acknowledged the difficult task awaiting South Africa against a star-studded Nigeria side boasting the likes of Ademola Lookman.
But he insisted his squad will be ready for Wednesdayβs showdown after banishing past doubts over their quality.
βThe semi-final will be tough against Nigeriaβs great players but we have nothing to lose now,β Broos stated.
βThe players will recover and prepare, but staying focused is essential.β
After years in the doldrums, South Africa are daring to dream again thanks to Broosβ vision and belief.
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