Broos evaluates Percy Tau’s impact after Bafana return
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has provided a straightforward and honest evaluation of Percy Tau’s performance following the player’s return to the national team.
Tau was in the starting line-up when Bafana claimed a crucial 2-0 win over Lesotho in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier encounter at a sold-out New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday night.
South Africa opened the scoring in the second half through Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng, who netted his first goal in his full debut for the national team. A few minutes later, Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams scored the second goal to give Bafana Bafana maximum points and move to the summit of Group C in the World Cup qualifiers.
Before finding the back of the net, Bafana’s attack was plagued by poor finishing. Percy Tau and Lyle Foster were the main culprits, with Tau squandering several clear-cut chances to score his first goal for the national team since early January.
Following a dip in form, the 30-year-old Tau has been heavily criticised. His limited game time at Al Ahly, which resulted in his Bafana Bafana exclusion since August 2024, ultimately led to his move to Qatar SC during the January transfer window.
WHAT DID BROOS SAY ABOUT PERCY TAU’S PERFORMANCE AGAINST LESOTHO?
The Belgian coach has given his candid assessment of Percy Tau, revealing that the world will see the best of the attacker soon.
“I think, and I’ve said it before, that we couldn’t be happy with Percy’s performance in the previous games,” said Broos. “That was not the level of Percy, and today [Friday], you can tell that he played a fantastic game but worked a lot, and that is because he’s used to playing games. When you don’t play games, you don’t have the rhythm.
“So I think the more he plays games, we’ll start seeing the best of Percy again because he’s playing now in Qatar. He can always do more [for Bafana], and if I’m honest, I think we can expect more, but I’m very happy with his performance because he worked a lot for the team.”
RELATED STORY: Broos worried about Tau’s form