Hugo Broos, head coach of South Africa (right). [Reuters]
Hugo Broos, head coach of South Africa (right). [Reuters]

Hugo Broos, the South Africa coach who handed South Korea a stunning defeat, shared his thoughts after the match.

Broos led South Africa to a 1-0 victory over South Korea on Thursday at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, in their Group A third-round match at the 2026 World Cup. Tafelo Maseko's decisive goal in the 63rd minute proved to be the winner.

South Africa had entered the match at the bottom of the group with one draw and one loss — just one point — after two games. They climbed to second place by pushing South Korea (one win, two losses, three points) down to third, securing a berth in the round of 32.

Speaking after the match, Broos said, "We played well. Tactically, we were good. Every player did their job. Korea is fast and covers a lot of ground. They look for space, they look behind the defensive line. I knew that. We analyzed how to win the ball back and counter. When we had the ball, we used the spaces they left."

He went on to say, "At halftime I told the players, 'Keep doing what you're doing.' And ultimately we delivered in the second half. I'm proud of the performance on Thursday. There has been a lot of talk about us over the past two weeks — that we needed to change something. I think we answered with the result."

Broos also expressed satisfaction with how his side managed the game after taking the lead. "When it's 1-0, things get urgent for the other team. There's a desperation to equalize — I knew that too. I think we held our shape well and didn't give away any truly dangerous chances or moments. Tactically, I think we were the better side on Thursday."


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