Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has responded to his Guinea counterpart Paulo Duarte’s declaration that South Africa rates among the top three nations in Africa.
Duarte said this on the back of his side’s 2-1 loss to Bafana in the opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations opener in Group D in Orlando on Saturday.
The result, coupled with the outcome of the other group match between tournament co-hosts Kenya and Eritrea, saw Bafana at the top of the pool with three points while Guinea are bottom after match day 1.
Duarte had praise for the opposition after the game while also naming the 1996 champions, Morocco and Senegal in his top three.
Mosimane who was in charge of his game of his second stint as Bafana mentor received Duarte’s words with humility saying it’s also backed by results.
“Well, if that’s his assessment, it’s humbling,” said Mosimane.
“But yeah, top three yes, we got the bronze [2023 AFCON] with that yes, right.
“But we have a long way to go right, they’re a good team also. We played well we are a good team.”