Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he wasn’t disappointed to lose heavily to France in Tuesday night’s international friendly encounter.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe (23, 76 P), Olivier Giroud (33′), Wissam Ben Yedder (81′) and Matteo Guendouzi (90+2′) ensured a 5-0 win for the World Champions at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
South Africa had a number of young players on display, most notably a starting front line of 24-year-old Fagrie Lakay and 21-year-olds Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Lyle Foster.
Mbappe, Giroud and Antoine Griezmann lead a star-studded Les Bleus line-up that included Chelsea midfielder N’golo Kante and Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane.
Speaking after the game, Broos said on IOL: “We knew coming into this game what we were coming up against. There was a difference of level between the two teams, but for us it wasn’t about the result, it was about the experience we have gained here today.
“We are a young team, therefore we don’t have the experience and quality of the French team. We tried our best today but the talent of our opposition was just too much, so we are not embarrassed by this scoreline.”
Reflecting on Mbappe’s performance, Broos added: “I was a little bit angry at my colleague (Didier Deschamps) that he started Mbappe today and not on Friday.
“He is a great player and there are much better defenders who have suffered against him. You can’t really neutralise him.
“He’s quick, he’s technically good and he can score, so if you have such a player in your team, you play with 12. France is already so good and they played with 12 against us so you know how difficult it was for us today.”
