Bafana Bafana defender Siyanda Xulu has expressed his delight with the SA men’s national team’s progression at the ongoing AFCON tournament ahead of the DR Congo tie on Saturday night.
Hugo Broos‘ charges will play for the third-place play-off against the Leopards on Saturday, 10 February 2024. The showdown will take place at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, in Abidjan. The game will kick-off at 22:00.
Bafana last played in the third and fourth play-off in 2000 against Tunisia. South Africa won 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Broos’ troops failed to reach the 2023 CAF AFCON tournament’s finals following their 4-2 defeat to Nigeria on penalties in the semi-finals this past Wednesday in Bouake. The game ended 1-1 after 120 tiresome minutes.
This was the first time South Africa reached the tournament’s semi-final since 2000
Meanwhile, Dr Congo lost to the hosts Ivory Coast with a 1-0 scoreline in the semis, thanks to Sebastien Haller’s solo goal.
SIYANDA XULU HAPPY WITH BAFANA BAFANA’S PERFORMANCE AT AFCON
Speaking during Bafana’s MD-1 press conference at Palais De Culture, Xulu expressed his happiness with the national team’s performance and their progress despite failing to reach the finals.
“We had our own goal as a team. So, we wanted to go as far as we could,” said the SuperSport United centre-back during the presser.
“We know very well of our quality, especially from the coach who is one person who has always believed in us as a team.
“To go this far was our objective. Reaching the semi-final is a dream. Yes, we wanted to take it home, but we couldn’t, but we can be proud of the performance.”
With that being said, Bafana wouldn’t want to come back home empty-handed, as they would go all out to come back with a bronze medal.
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