Hugo Broos relieved after Bafana survive forfeit scare

There was a scare in the first half, when fans invaded the pitch as Teboho Mokoena put Bafana 2-0 up in the 28th minute, with the Mauritanian match officials calling an abrupt halt to the game for close to 20 minutes.

Ultimately, more security personnel had to be deployed before the match could continue, but Broos revealed he was worried after the match officials threatened to call the match off, which would have resulted in a forfeit for the host nation, per CAF's rules.

"I've never felt like this on the bench during a game like today because after 20 minutes, there was a break, and I was very afraid because we had good momentum, and you never know what happens after such a break," said Broos.

"But yeah, from the first second [after the restart], we were again in the game, and in the second half too, so yeah – every time we scored, I looked at the crowd, if there wasn't another [fan] who would run on the pitch.

"Because the match commissioner told me that, if the littlest thing that happens, they would stop the game again for good, and that was my fear.

"Thank God that this did not happen and that we could end the game, and have the three points, so we can now focus on next Tuesday."

Bafana will now travel to Brazzaville, where they will be looking to collect three more points, which would officially confirm their qualification to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.

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