Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has made a bold statement after his side qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations with a win over Liberia.
Bafana qualified for the Afcon finals in Ivory Coast next year with a match to spare in Group K after they beat the Lone Star 2-1 and eliminated them on a head to head points.
Broos felt vindicated by his multiple changes in the line-up after giving rare starts to the likes of Lepasa, Mayambela, Sphephelo Sithole and Innocent Maela.
Read: Official: Bafana Avoid Scare To Qualify For AFCON
"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 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," he said.
"And I think with Maela behind, with Sithole in midfield, Mayambela is a big guy with power, I think (thought) we could do something and we did it."
The Belgian coach was reminded that he promised to qualify Bafana to the Afcon and that he may be killed if he fails to do so.
"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," he went on.
"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 stages in Afcon next year," he vowed.
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