Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos had plenty of praise for midfielder Bathusi Aubaas following the 3-0 AFCON qualifier win over South Sudan, revealing the one key quality that he brings to the team.
Having already confirmed their spot in next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with two games to spare, Bafana hammered South Sudan 3-0 at a sold-out DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.
While the trio of Iqraam Rayners, Patrick Maswanganyi, and Teboho Mokoena did the business in front of goal, Aubaas also got plenty of applause for orchestrating things from the middle of the back.
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The box-to-box man was recalled to the side in the absence of Sphephelo Sithole, who is nursing a long-term injury.
Speaking to media after the match, Broos hailed the impact of the lanky player.
"When you try to build a team, you always try to have complementary players," said the Belgian.
"So, on one side you have Teboho [Mokoena], good player, maybe a bit less power. So, you need the guy with more power [next to him], who is maybe not the best player but to push your team forwards.
"That was Sithole before. That's why we had such a good AFCON in January, because they [Sithole and Mokoena] were complementary.
"Sithole is not there anymore and I always love Bathusi. Not the finest player to give the final pass, but there is power and you need that in modern football.
"It's something that is normal that in football, you have to be technically good, but there is [also] the physical side of football — to be able to play for 90 minutes but also to have that power. And we have that power in our team now.
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"That's why we have been able to get such great results, why we can complete with teams like Algeria and Ivory Coast, like we did in March and last year in November [in away friendly draws]. "
Bafana at the top of Group K with four wins and two draws from their six qualifying matches, and will now return to competitive action in March next for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.