Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has revealed the secret behind his team dominated by local players performing beyond expectations after he was 'criticized' for his selections.
Broos received criticism in the country, particularly after Lyle Foster was not available, for not selecting Egypt-based striker Fagrie Lakay.
And there were concerns also of Bafana dominated by too many local players, as the likes of United States of America-based Njabulo Blom and Bongokuhle Hlongwane missed out.
READ | 'Those who doubted him...' - Broos addresses Makgopa's critics after Morocco win
There were still some reservations of South Africa's line-up having as much as eight players from Mamelodi Sundowns and after Bafana stunned Morocco 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16, Broos says he always believed in the local group that they can play at the high level.
"I got a lot of critics from South Africa, in certain moments because of the choices I made but I knew what I was doing, I know the results have to follow," Broos said in a press conference.
"And even with local players, you can see they are playing at a high level, when they have the confidence they can do it and this is very important for South African football.
"That we're making good performances here in such a big tournament, so let's go on. There's no secrets, it's just hard-working and you see the guys now they are ready to do everything that I ask them," he said.
"They are training good, they are living from the morning until the evening to be ready for the next game, it makes a coach happy when you see that and the results are following. You can't have results without hard work and that's what we're doing," he added.
Bafana will be up against Cape Verde in the quarter-final clash on Saturday evening.
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