South Africa's 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign got off to a disappointing start on Thursday after the national team suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Group K rivals Morocco in Rabat.
Hugo Broos' side took the lead in the first half following a breakaway goal from Lyle Foster but were ultimately unable to deal with the attacking barrage from the Atlas Lions who hit back with goals from Youssef En Nesyri and Ayoub El Kaabi in the second stanza.
Following the encounter, the Belgian tactician revealed his disappointment at the result, particularly after having held the lead, but revealed that he was not displeased with his side's performance against the star-studded Moroccan outfit.
"It's not the result we wanted," Broos said. "For a long time in the game, I thought we could win, then after the first goal we conceded I was happy to take one point. To concede the second goal so close to the end was disappointing.
"We now know what to do in September," he added. "I was not disappointed with the performance today. We fought for it against a very strong Moroccan team, so that was good. Let's hope we can do it twice in September with two victories [against Liberia].
