'We must not do stupid things!' Hugo Broos cautions Bafana Bafana after convincing Benin win in 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, but outspoken coach warns that 'we are not afraid anymore of who plays against us'

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has praised his players for the 2-0 win against Benin in a 2026 World Cup qualifier held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday.

South Africa beat the West Africans 2-0 to boost their chances of participating in the upcoming global showpiece next year. Broos, in his post-match assessment, praised the players for executing what they were told to do.

Lyle Foster and Jayden Adams were the scorers for the Group C leaders.

"I think, first of all, we did a good analysis of the opponent. Secondly, I think the players did what we asked from them. We knew where we could be dangerous against this team, Benin," Broos said in his post-match presser.

"It is a good team, but we did good today keeping the ball and waiting for the right moments. In the first half, we could really do something, but in the second half, it started being easy. We could score the second time, and I said to the bench, my assistant, that if we score once, we will win the game and. I think it was like that. We dominated the game, and I think we deserved to win," he added.

"It was not easy in South Africa in the first year; there were a lot of problems, but we went on to look for the right players for the right position. We found them, and I think now we have a very good team.

"We are not afraid anymore of who plays against us. The only thing we have to do is hard work like we have done till now. I'm not saying that everything is already done. We are in a good position now, but I think with the group that we have and if we do not do stupid things, we are very close to World Cup qualification," the Belgian concluded.

With the win, South Africa took their tally to 13 points, consolidating their position at the top, and opened a five-point lead against Benin, who have eight.

Rwanda, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Lesotho, have eight points too.

Nigeria failed to apply pressure against their rivals after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe. That means the Super Eagles, fourth on the table, have seven points.

Lesotho are fifth with six points.

The Warriors of Zimbabwe, without a win so far in the campaign, are at the bottom with just four points.

Two qualifiers are lined up in September for South Africa, who hope to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they hosted it.

Lesotho will host them on September 1, before a home game against the Super Eagles on September 8.