Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos singled out the impact of substitute Tshepang Moremi after South Africa edged Angola 2-1 in their Africa Cup of Nations opener, admitting the change in tempo after the break proved decisive.
Goals from Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster sealed the win, but it was Moremi’s introduction at half-time that shifted the momentum in South Africa’s favour, with the Orlando Pirates winger injecting pace, directness and attacking intent.
AFRICA PICKS: Nigeria vs Tanzania – AFCON 2025 bets to bank on
Broos was candid in his assessment of Bafana’s first-half display, revealing he was far from satisfied despite taking the lead.
“We tried to avoid that because if you lose the game today, then you have Egypt and you are in big trouble,” Broos told SABC Sport. “But I wasn’t pleased with the game we played in the first half. At the moment we led 1-0, we fell asleep.”
The Belgian coach felt Angola were allowed back into the contest too easily, forcing him to act decisively at the interval.
WATCH: South Africa v Angola | AFCON Highlights
“We let Angola come back into the game, so we put something right during half-time,” he said. “Then you see in the second half, we make more pressure, there’s more movement in the team and we had chances. This is what I want to see.”
Moremi was at the heart of that improvement. The winger had a goal disallowed early in the second half and later provided the assist for Foster’s winning strike, consistently troubling Angola’s defence.
“Tshepang did wonderful coming into the team,” Broos said. “Suddenly there was speed in our team, we were dangerous. We scored a goal which was offside – I don’t know what happened there – but yes, he was a threat for our opponents.”
Broos was particularly pleased with the intensity Moremi brought in his 45-minute cameo.
“He did it very well in the 45 minutes he played,” he added. “That is the kind of impact we need from players coming off the bench.”
The victory gives Bafana Bafana a crucial platform in a demanding group which includes record seven-time winners Egypt.
Photo: Khaled Desouki / AFP via Getty Images
