- Bafana qualified with a game to spare
- Broos is expected to be in charge of SA in Ivory Coast
- SA scheduled to face Morocco in June
WHAT HAPPENED?: Bafana secured a 2-1 victory over Lone Stars in their penultimate 2023 Afcon qualification Group K match in Monrovia.
Zakhele Lepasa's opener was cancelled out by Liberia captain William Jebor's equaliser, but Mihlali Mayambela's 53rd-minute goal proved to be the visitors' winner.
Broos explained why he made five changes to the team which drew with Liberia last week Friday in Soweto and he also indicated he is ready for any criticism that comes his way if Bafana don't make it into the knock-out phase in Ivory Coast.
WHAT DID BROOS SAY?: "It was a very tough game we knew it, the way Liberia plays it's power play, not combination. I think we put the right players on the right place," Broos told SABC Sport after the game.
"And I'm very proud the way they did it. They fought for it, I saw 90 minutes of perseverance, I mean, we scored two times. I think it was difficult, but I think we deserve it.
"We knew, like I said it's power play how they play, from behind, the long ball and then they fight for it and I needed the guys who fight also.
"And I think with [Innocent] Maela behind, with [Sphephelo] Sithole in midfield, [Mihlali] Mayambela is a big guy with power, I think (thought) we could do something and we did it.
"That's what I meant at that moment, this is a country that normally should be every time at Afcon and I didn't understand why they didn't go the last years.
"So it was very important (that we qualify), we have a young team and international games are important to have international experience and also going to the biggest tournament of Africa.
"So we did it now, we can only progress in the next ten months with opponents we can learn something and get ready for Afcon. I will say what I said in the beginning, 'you may kill me if we don't go to Afcon', I think you may kill me if we don't go through the next stages in Afcon next year."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Broos is a proven coach who has tasted success in African football, having won the 2017 Afcon title with Cameroon.
Safa and Bafana fans will be hoping that the former Anderlecht coach guides South Africa to their second continental title in Ivory Coast.
SA were able to reach the knockout phase in 2019 and eliminated Egypt in the Round of 16 before losing to eventual third-place finishers Nigeria under coach Stuart Baxter.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR SOUTH ARICA?: Bafana will face off with Morocco at home in June this year in their final Group K game.
The Atlas Lions claimed a 2-1 win over SA at home in their previous Group K match in June last year.