South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has applauded Canada after the North Americans eliminated Bafana Bafana from the World Cup.
The Belgian conceded that the Canadians had more speed and power than his charges and thus deservedly won the game.
“This is certainly…you receive a goal at the moment that the game is finished; it was two to three minutes left to play. It’s done in that moment, and for Canada, it was also the right moment to score. On the other side, we have to be honest; today there was more speed and power in our opponent,” Broos told SABC Sport in a post-match interview.
“We lost many duels, certainly man-against-man duels, because of the power. This is something I think we have to work on in the next few months, but not only us but also all of South African football.
“It is not anymore playing tiki-tiki; it’s also the power and speed you need. I think we have an example of that today from our opponents,” he added.
Broos had indicated that this was his last tournament in charge of Bafana Bafana and said it has been a good journey with the South Africans so far.
“Until now, I think it was a fantastic journey; ok, it started a little bit difficult. After that, I think we did a very good job, also the players; I’m still proud of this team and what they achieved in the last five years, so again, we think we can look at the past with happiness,” Broos stated.
How South Africa were eliminated
South Africa’s World Cup journey ended at the Round of 32 after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Canada on Monday.
Stephen Eustaquio’s stoppage-time winner guided Canada into the Round of 16 for the first time and consequently eliminated Bafana Bafana.
Both Canada and South Africa were playing their first-ever World Cup knockout match, and with the game seemingly heading towards extra time, a goal scored in the added minute broke the hearts of the Africans.
A pinpoint strike from the edge of the area by the Canadian captain saw the co-host advance and will now face the Netherlands or Morocco for a quarter-final place next Saturday.
