Hugo Broos Reacts to Calvin Bassey’s Handball Goal, Questions Super Eagles Tactics
- South Africa head coach Hugo Broos is unhappy at how the Super Eagles approached the 1-1 draw
- The Belgian head coach also hit out at Calvin Bassey’s equaliser, which was turned in with his hand
- Bafana Bafana moves closer to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with two matches left to go
South Africa's head coach, Hugo Broos, has reacted to Nigeria’s tactics during their 1-1 draw against Bafana Bafana and Calvin Bassey’s equaliser.
South Africa went ahead in the 24th minute after Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong inadvertently converted Teboho Mokoena’s cross.
Source: Getty Images
Calvin Bassey restored parity for Nigeria in the 45th minute, connecting with Bright Osayi-Samuel's cross to bundle the ball over the line.
The Fulham defender turned the ball into the net with his hands, but the goal stood after the officials failed to spot it, and there was no VAR in use.
As noted by CAF Online, neither could find a goal in the second half to secure the win as they wasted chance after chance and shared the points apiece.
The draw was not a bad result for South Africa, who moved closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, their first since hosting the tournament in 2010.
However, for Nigeria, the draw pushed their chances of qualifying for the Mundial closer to impossible, as they needed a win to keep hopes alive.
Mathematically, there is still a tiny chance for the Super Eagles to finish top of the group and clinch the automatic ticket, which is a brighter chance than the playoff route.
Hugo Broos reacts to Bassey's goal
Broos questioned Eric Chelle's physical approach to the game and believes his team was the only side that wanted to play football despite the poor pitch in Bloemfontein.
The Belgian tactician added that had it been his side approached the match similarly, Nigeria would not have scored, which was a handball anyway.
“It was a game like I expected. On my side, the team that wants to play football, on the other side, a team that tried to win the game by power,” he said as quoted by All Nigeria Soccer.
“We did very well in the first half, but Nigeria tried physically to come back, and they did. If we had defended with more aggressiveness, the goal would never have arrived, and secondly, it was a handball.”
Source: Getty Images
Nigerians hit back at South Africans for complaining about Bassey's goal, noting that FIFA has yet to act on Bafana Bafana fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho.
The incident has dragged on since it happened in March, but the world football governing body has yet to make an official acknowledgement of the case.
Eric Chelle reacts to draw against South Africa
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle reacted to the 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein, which dealt a blow to Nigeria's World Cup hopes.
The Franco-Malian manager believes that a draw in South Africa was not a bad result, but he is disappointed because it falls short of what Nigeria needs.
Source: Legit.ng
