Hugo Broos has transformed South African football, leading Bafana Bafana to their first World Cup Round of 32 since 2002, sparking renewed optimism and excitement among fans. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: Backpagepix
As heartbreaking as Bafana Bafana's Round of 32 FIFA World Cup 1-0 loss to Canada was, they were never expected to make it this far - and much of their historic run is down to the influence of coach Hugo Broos.
Stephen Eustáquio scored the winner for Canada deep in added time after the 90 minutes were up, as Bafana crashed out of the tournament. Broos and his men no doubt were preparing to go to extra time, until the fateful moment sent them packing.
This World Cup marked the first time Bafana had qualified for the tournament since the 2002 edition, having gained automatic entry as hosts in 2010.The major achievement, therefore, was simply qualifying again for football’s biggest showpiece.
However, once the tournament rolled around, expectations quickly grew.
Those lofty ambitions came crashing back down to earth after an opening 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico on June 11.
Bafana conceded inside the first 10 minutes and looked utterly toothless in attack.
On June 18, they again appeared short of creativity and cutting edge against Czech Republic, although they managed to secure a crucial 1-1 draw thanks to a late penalty from Teboho Mokoena.
It was then time to face a dangerous South Korea side on June 25. Despite seeing just 31% of the possession, Bafana looked revitalised in attack.
They fired off 14 shots at goal and were finally rewarded when Thapelo Maseko broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. That proved enough to secure a 1-0 victory and book their place in the Round of 32 in this expanded 48-team World Cup.
Then came the Canada clash, as South Africa finally enjoyed more ball for the first time at the World Cup with 58% of the ball, and though they couldn't break down the Canada defence Bafana showed they belonged.
The last time Bafana experienced anything close to this level of excitement and euphoria was back in 1996 when they won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
I watched that triumph as a wide-eyed 10-year-old sports-loving boy. Thirty years later, the cynicism of a grumpy 40-year-old has, at least for now, been replaced by optimism about South African football once again.
Most of that is due in large part to the silver-haired Belgian.
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