Bafana Bafana blew their hopes of World Cup success in Rwanda early on in Tuesday’s Group C qualifier, claimed coach Hugo Broos, while blaming the pitch and arduous travel for his team’s woes on Tuesday.
South Africa were beaten 2-0 by the 140th ranked side in an embarrassing setback when they have a chance to go well clear at the top of the group.
“I think we lost the game in the first 25 minutes, we were not ready for the kick and rush football of Rwanda,” Broos told the post-match press conference after the loss in the southern town of Butare.
“I told the players that they have to be careful of that in the first 20-25 minutes, we gave them two presents, two goals, players were ready to go into duels. The second goal we had the ball and they took it and scored.
“After that, we changed something, we asked the boys to put more pressure and then you saw the second half and Rwanda didn’t come near the 16 metres except for one shot and the rest they defended.
“That’s how it should have been from the first minute. Our start was bad and we paid with two goals. You lose with 11, you win with 11, we didn’t have answers,” Broos added
The veteran coach, however, made much of the water-logged pitch and the three hour bus trip to the venue after landing in Kigali on Sunday.
Commentator just said it looks like water-polo match 😭🤽♂️
— Sahil Ebrahim (@sahil_e_) November 21, 2023
5 mins
🇷🇼 Rwanda 0-0 Bafana Bafana 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/ifuLSQtUy3
“When you see the first 20 minutes it’s unbelievable that a qualifier of a World Cup is played on such a pitch. It’s impossible. But OK, it is what it is and I think Fifa has to be stricter on the rules where you going to play, we are talking about professional football, we’re talking about qualifiers of the biggest tournament.
“It’s not normal to arrive in a country and then travel three hours with a bus before you’re at the final destination. I will not say it’s the reason we lost the game, not at all, but I think those things have to change.
“We’re talking about professional football and this pitch is not professional, and you don’t let an opponent travel three hours from an airport for their destination, this is only my remark, nothing to do with the defeat of today,” Broos concluded.