Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Eric Tinkler has praised the team for their brave performance against hosts Egypt on Saturday night.
South Africa united the country in celebration as a Thembinkosi Lorch strike eliminated Egypt 1-0 at the Cairo International Stadium to book a place in the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Maritzburg United coach Tinkler, who won the AFCON in 1996, praised the team for their famous victory and hopes they will build from their excellent performance.
GALLERY: How Bafana Bafana shook Cairo
"Fantastic result, the best in a long time," he said. "I think the approach was spot on throughout the game. Sfiso Hlanti and Thamsanqa Mkhize were on top of their game by keeping the Egyptian forwards led by Mohammed Salah quiet on the night, helped by the other defenders.
"Also our attacking was unmatched, one of the best performances I've ever seen from Bafana from the whole team. We needed this victory to remind ourselves what we can do on the big stages."
READ: Lorch: I thought it wasn't a goal
Tinkler is hoping the victory will also help forget about the past and build a new chapter in our football, after suffering for years in big tournaments.
"We can only hope that performance will help us to build a better football country," he added. "This victory can help us to find solutions for our challenges."
South Africa will face Nigeria in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, with kick-off at 21h00.
READ: Lorch on Baxter tactics supporters