19 October 2023 – Bafana Bafana drew 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire in an international friendly match played in Abidjan at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Tuesday night.
The South African senior men’s team are now unbeaten in 11 matches and were the first to get their name on the stadium scoreboard when Themba Zwane scored the opening goal of the match in the eighth minute.
The visitors had numerous opportunities to increase the lead but had to settle for the slim advantage going into the halftime break.
The West Africans finally managed to claw their way back into the match when Sebastien Haller headed in the equalizer for the hosts in the 66th minute.
Coach Hugo Broos said on the eve of the match that his team had learnt some valuable lessons from their disappointing goalless draw against Eswatini last week, and it showed against Côte d’Ivoire as they delivered an improved performance. He said after the 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire that he was pleased with the way his players responded and played against the hosts.
“I was angry on Friday last week, but I am pleased and happy about this game. I think South Africa played a very good game against a very good team. There was a very good mentality on the pitch and we played good football. It was not only about defending, but also the way we attacked and put Côte d’Ivoire in trouble,” the Bafana Bafana coach said after the match.
Bafana Bafana travel back home to South Africa on Wednesday (18 October 2023).