Broos happy with Bafana’s performance in first match against Panama – South African Football Association

28 March 2026 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos praised his players’ display after the South African senior men’s national team was held to a 1-1 draw by Panama during an international friendly match played at a sweltering Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night.

The Central Americans were the first to get their name up on the stadium scoreboard after Yoel Barcenas scored the opening goal of the match in the 23rd minute. Panama found the back of the net very much against the run of play after somehow managing to avoid conceding a goal as the hosts laid their goal under siege for long periods.

The irrepressible Oswin Appollis finally found the breakthrough when he levelled matters in the 48th minute with a stunning goal that the Panama goalkeeper did not know much about.

Broos said while Bafana Bafana could not find the winning goal that would have been just reward for the myriad of opportunities they created during the match, he could look back at the players’ delivery during the 90 minutes with satisfaction.

“I think everybody can agree that we played a good game. We dominated Panama for 90 minutes and we only made two mistakes during the game. Their goal, we should have kicked that ball into the stands, but we wanted to do things in a nice way. I told the players during halftime that there is nothing wrong with kicking the ball into the stands when they are under pressure. The second chance was in the second half,” he said, referring to the shot that hit the upright during the second period.

Bafana Bafana will travel to Cape Town on Saturday morning ahead of their second clash against Panama at the DHL Stadium on Tuesday night.

South African Football: Clubs like Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs have also had notable runs in international competitions.