Hugo Broos After Elimination: "Cameroon Could Be AFCON Surprise"

South Africa coach Hugo Broos expressed his disappointment after his team's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 at the hands of Cameroon, emphasizing that the latter could be the tournament's surprise package.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Broos stated: "I think we were very confident, and we saw that clearly in the first half. I am sure the Cameroonian team didn't know what to do against us tactically; we always had free areas and created chances. But as I said at the beginning: if you don't know how to convert those chances into goals at this level, you will pay the price, and that's what happened to us."

He continued: "Cameroon's first goal came from a rebound shot that fell back to a Cameroonian player who knew how to score. Apart from that, I don't think Cameroon was truly dangerous in the first half. We wanted to continue with the same approach in the second half, but we conceded a second goal very early, and that's when things became extremely difficult."

The Belgian coach added: "Despite that, we continued to fight, try to change the score, and create chances. But I go back to what I said: such opportunities at this level must be converted and not wasted. This was perhaps our undoing. This doesn't negate what I said before the match; the Cameroonian team possesses great physical strength, and it's a team where every player plays for his teammate."

Broos concluded by saying: "Cameroon is a very good collective team, and if they continue in this manner, they could become the surprise of this AFCON."