South African coach Hugo Bruce has revealed his intent to approach the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash against Nigeria differently from the quarter-final style against Cape Verde.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerged as the hero in a penalty shootout victory, securing South Africa’s semi-final spot after a goalless 120 minutes, marking their first semi-final appearance since 2000.
In a post-match conference yesterday, Bruce acknowledged the upcoming Nigeria match as an entirely different challenge, highlighting the quality of Nigerian players like Ademola Lookman.
He stressed the importance of maintaining focus, ensuring players’ optimal condition, and prioritizing rest and recovery for effective preparation.
Reflecting on the unique nature of the match, Bruce admits a deviation from their previous performance standards. Despite skepticism in South Africa, he expressed pride in the team’s achievements.
“In spite of doubts, we believed in it, and the players believed in themselves. Reaching the semi-finals is a significant milestone for South African football,” Bruce said.
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“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, which has good players like (Ademola) Lookman.
“We will not lose focus. The players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation,” he said.
The Bafana Bafana coach also dismissed the notion of their penalty shootout win as mere luck, while acknowledging the heightened pressure from the historic semi-final qualification.
He attributed the success to the players’ dedicated training, particularly praising Williams for stopping four crucial penalties.
Bruce said: “When we got to the penalty shootout, it was a special thing for the players, because during training they were scoring them.
“When we have a goalkeeper who stops four penalty kicks, this is not luck but a lot of hard work.
“There was a lot of pressure in the match. Everyone wanted to qualify. This match was unlike the previous ones. We did not show the same performance as we had in previous matches,” he said.
He concluded by saing that there weren’t many people in South Africa who believed in the team and he was proud of what his boys had achieved so far.
“In spite of all the doubts, we believed in it, and the players believed in themselves as well.
“Reaching the semi-finals is in itself a good thing for South African football,” Bruce added.
