Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos lamented the absence of talisman Themba Zwane after his side drew 0-0 with Namibia on Saturday at Orlando Stadium.
Neither side managed to tap the back of the net in what was a battle dominated by Broos’ troops in possession.
The Belgian coach admitted they missed Themba Zwane who knows how to dismantle the defence line. ‘Mshishi’ was withdrawn from the squad after he got injured during the MTN8 semi-final first-leg clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
HUGO BROOS LAMENTS THEMBA ZWANE’S ABSENCE AFTER BAFANA DRAW
“The number 18 of Namibia was always free, so we didn’t have really the number nine like Themba Zwane as the player, we missed that kind of player,” he told journalists after the game.
“But okay, Themba was not there, we made a choice and the second half was better. We were more closer to the men, we were higher also. And the space for Namibia was not big anymore like in the first half.”
Broos said they were all about granting chances to new faces and those who are not regulars. This includes the likes of Kobamelo Kodisang, Grant Margeman, Thabiso Monyane, Mlungisi Mbunjana, Lebo Mothiba and Pule Mmodi.
Despite not getting the victory, he insisted he was “happy” with what he saw from his team.
‘I’M HAPPY WITH WHAT I SAW’
“I think it was a very interesting game for us, we said before the game that we should give chances to the new players to prove themselves,” he added.
“That was the goal today, the result was on the second place. But I’d rather win a game than lose or play a draw because also today we were a better team.
“We had many chances and maybe that’s why we played a draw. We couldn’t use chances to score, that was a little bit in the first half. You have that when you have so many new players in your team, they’re not used to playing together and need adaptation.
“But still I’m happy with what I saw today. We could have won the game against the opponents who played a low block than the balls in front.”
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