Hugo Broos: 'We Were Asleep Against Angola, This Isn't the South Africa Team I Know'

South Africa coach Hugo Broos admitted his players lost focus in the first half of their 2-1 victory over Angola, a match played as part of Group B's opening round in the "Morocco 2025" Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Speaking after the match at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, the Belgian coach stated: "Losing the first match in the group stage complicates matters, and we tried to avoid defeat. We started the game well and scored a goal, then for some unknown reason, we suddenly fell asleep. This is not the South Africa team I know."

He added: "Perhaps it's a good thing that we experienced this situation in the first half and woke up in time. I believe what happened today will not be repeated in future matches. The most important thing for us now is to get through the group stage. It's a tough competition, and sometimes you need luck."

Broos further elaborated: "Angola got back into the game and became more dangerous with some nice combinations. We suffered because we lacked fight and played slowly. We had a feeling the opponent would score, and that's exactly what happened. We made corrections at halftime, and in the second half, we improved and pressed the opponent more. We scored a goal that was disallowed for offside, and then Lyle Foster scored a wonderful winning goal."

South Africa is set to face Egypt in the second round, with the match scheduled for Friday at 16:00 GMT+1 at the Grand Stade d'Agadir.