Hugo Broos on Lyle Foster’s injury: ‘Its nothing bad, but…’
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has downplayed the severity of Lyle Foster’s injury, but he has a small concern about the striker.
On Friday evening, Foster was carried off on a stretcher when Bafana thrashed Congo Brazzaville 5-0 in the 2025 AFCON qualifying match at a packed Nelson Mandela Stadium, in Gqeberha.
The Burnley FC striker was also on the scoresheet, scoring in the 51st minute to make it 4-0. The 24-year-old later collided with the opposition goalkeeper, chasing the ball. He was taken off just after the hour mark; in the 66th minute and he was replaced by Iqraam Rayners who netted the fifth goal.
WHAT HUGO BROOS SAID ABOUT LYLE FOSTER’S INJURY
Broos says the extent of the injury setback is not huge as it’s merely a knock on the leg, however, there is concern regarding Foster’s difficulty in walking.
The Belgian mentor hopes Foster will recover in time to face Congo on the return leg, lauding the striker’s state of sharpness. The match will be played on Tuesday, 15 October at Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat. Kickoff is at 7 pm.
“He had a knock on his leg, its nothing bad, but on the other side on the muscle. Now he can’t merely walk, we’ll see what it will be for Tuesday. Let’s hope our medical team has got some magic hands that he’s recovered for Tuesday,” said Broos.
“I’ve never seen Lyle sharp like he was today [against Congo]. I saw it on training this week, I went to him and said, ‘you’re sharp, keep that’.
Broos went on to state that in the event that Foster fails to recover in time, Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners will be leading the attacking line against Congo on Tuesday.
“We have three days it’s not much, let’s see what happens in the next days. If we have to change, I can tell you now that I have full confidence in Iqraam [Rayners]. That guy when he will have to play on Tuesday, he will be ready,” he added.
RELATED STORY: Hugo Broos – What has made Lyle Foster ‘better player’