We shut up big mouths, says South Africa’s coach after beating South Korea

South Africa's coach Hugo Broos declared his team had silenced critics after they secured a historic World Cup knockout stage berth by defeating South Korea 1-0. The African team, making their fourth World Cup appearance, finished second in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico, who achieved a perfect three wins. South Africa, who last played in the 2010 World Cup hosted on home soil, were largely written off after an opening 2-0 loss to Mexico.

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I'm very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks that thought that we had to change something.

However, they fought back with a draw against the Czech Republic and secured second place in Monterrey with Thapelo Maseko's second-half goal. "I'm very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks that thought that we had to change something," Broos stated defiantly. "We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result."

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We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result.

The 74-year-old Belgian coach described reaching the second round as an emotional moment, potentially one of the last games of his career. He expressed unwavering belief in his players despite harsh criticism, describing his relationship with them as unique and akin to friendship. "Between me as a coach and them as players is yes, maybe something unique, I’m the coach, but I’m not a coach. I think I’m a friend of theirs," he said.

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I think I’m a friend of theirs. So the relationship between the players and me, this is very good.

South Africa is set to face co-host Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday for a spot in the last 16. Broos is confident his players will be ready to compete. "It should be even more historic. But those players are chasing those things. Those players want to prove to everyone and to show that they are a good team. So we will see next Sunday if we can go further," he added.

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It should be even more historic. But those players are chasing those things. Those players want to prove to everyone and to show that they are a good team. So we will see next Sunday if we can go further.