South Africa's World Cup coach Broos vows to silence outspoken players.

After Bafana Bafana advanced to the World Cup knock‑outs for the first time in history by beating South Korea 1‑0 on Wednesday, coach Hugo Broos said his team had silenced the “big mouths.”

The African side, playing its fourth World Cup, finished second in Group A behind co‑host Mexico, who completed a perfect record of three wins.

South Africa, whose last appearance was as hosts in 2010, was widely written off after a 2‑0 loss to Mexico in their opening match.

They drew 1‑1 with the Czech Republic and secured second place in a de‑facto shootout for the runner‑up spot in Monterrey, thanks to 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 said defiantly.

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

The 74‑year‑old, who has led the team since 2021, said reaching the second round was an emotional moment for South Africa.

“I said it already in the past that probably it will be one of the last games of my career and when you can end a career like I had in this way, I think everybody or every coach dreams of it.”

The Belgian coach added that he had always believed in his players despite harsh criticism.

“Between me as a coach and them as players is yes, maybe something unique — I’m the coach, but I’m not a coach,” he said. “I think I’m a friend of theirs. So the relationship between the players and me, this is very good.”

South Africa will face Canada, one of the tournament co‑hosts, in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a place in the last 16 up for grabs.

“I just know that the players will be ready again and try to achieve the third round,” Broos said. “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.”