‘Early goal settled Bafana nerves’

South Africa coach Hugo Broos admits his side were nervous going into their Africa Cup of Nations Group E clash with neighbours Namibia, but an early penalty from Percy Tau settled them down.

Themba Zwane scored twice after that to go with a goal from Thapelo Maseko in a 4-0 victory — Bafana’s biggest ever at the Cup of Nations and the biggest of the tournament in the Ivory Coast so far.

It leaves Bafana likely needing just a point against Tunisia tomorrow to be sure of qualification for the round of 16, and is a boost of confidence after a limp second half in the 2-0 opening defeat to Mali.

“We knew we had to win the game today to go through the group stages, so we were a little bit nervous at the beginning. But after we scored the first goal, we settled,” Broos told reporters.

“We played a good game having had a good analysis of the opponents. We showed the players where the weaknesses were.

“It is a good win, important for the goal difference and now we have a boost of confidence for the game against Tunisia, who are a very strong opponent.”

Zwane was sublime for the 70 minutes he was on the pitch and claimed a deserved Man of the Match prize. — SuperSport.