Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has praised his side for showing real character to secure a 3-1 victory over Ethiopia in their third Fifa World Group G qualifier this past Saturday.

Goals from Teboho Mokoena, Mothobi Mvala and Evidence Makgopa had Bafana walking away with a vital win away from home as they continue to target qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

South Africa have now further cemented their place at the top of the Group G standings and are on seven points after three matches, leading second-placed Ghana by a point, Ethiopia in third by four points, and bottom-of-the-table Zimbabwe by six.

Broos was pleased with his side’s overall performance and felt like they did enough to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the next round.

“It was a very difficult game on a very difficult pitch,” Broos said post-match.

“I said to the players before the match that we don’t need the trophy for the football-playing team but we need the trophy today for the team with the most character.

“We showed that character, that mentality even after the equaliser scored by Ethiopia where we fought for every ball.

“We won at last and it’s a great win!”

Bafana Bafana will now be hoping to make it back-to-back wins when they welcome Ethiopia to the FNB Stadium on Tuesday, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm.