Hugo Broos waxes lyrical about Relebohile Mofokeng after Bafana Bafana debut start and goal, but warns Orlando Pirates star - 'I can tell nobody they are a regular'

Bafana Bafana beat Lesotho 2-0 in a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday.

Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams were on target for the hosts in what was the duo's debut goals for the national side.

For Mofokeng, it was also his first start for Bafana and won the Man of the Match award, leaving Bafana coach Hugo Broos highly impressed. The Belgian, though, warned the Orlando Pirates star that he is not guaranteed a place in the team.

“You know I can tell nobody they are a regular [in] Bafana Bafana, we are 23, that’s the first thing; secondly I said also before, as a coach you have to see when is the right moment to bring in a player [into the XI],” Broos said as per iDiski Times.

“I think this game was the right moment for Rele, he played a very good game and this is what we need, when you put a young guy in the team, as a coach, you have to always think they can succeed. 

“If he doesn’t, can you imagine he played a bad game, then everyone would say ‘ya, ya, ya maybe it’s too soon, maybe he’s not so good, blah, blah, blah’. So you have to help the player with that," the former Cameroon coach added.

“I think I did that with Rele and I did that today with Jayden too, for me, Jayden also played a very good game – but this was also an opponent to do that. You can’t do that against Nigeria, or maybe for the first time, in Benin because those are different games.

“So I have to watch and see when is the right moment and then sometimes they don’t succeed then either – but today you see Rele, he had the confidence from my side and he confirmed it, so I’m very happy with that.”

Mofokeng's performance could launch his international career to greater heights and make him a regular Bafana starter.

He made a strong point to be considered even in big games like the hosting of continental powerhouse Nigeria later in these qualifiers.

Following Friday's win, Bafana are now two points clear on top of Group C and in the driving seat in these qualifiers.

Bafana travel to Ivory Coast to face Benin for their next Group C match to be played on Tuesday as they seek to consolidate their lead.

Broos might have the confidence to start Mofokeng after the 20-year-old was on fire against Lesotho.