Bafana Bafana attacker Themba Zwane says they “kept calm and avoided costly mistakes” to secure their spot in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.

South Africa sealed their progression to the last 16 after playing out to a goalless draw against Tunisia in their final Group E encounter on Wednesday.

The South African national team will now take on World Cup semi-finalist Morocco in the next round of the competition after finishing in second place in Group E.

Zwane, who walked away with the Man of the Match award, has praised his teammates for remaining calm and disciplined which ultimately led to them securing their passage to the knockout stages.

“We knew as a team that it was going to be difficult because they use a lot of physique and at the same time, we wanted to avoid necessary cautions and fouls,” Zwane said after the game.

“It was a difficult match but credit to my teammates for fighting on and ensuring that we keep calm and avoid costly mistakes.

“This one was difficult. We coordinated well, even though they were closing the spaces for us. We tried to be calm and penetrated to create more chances.

“They were tired and so were we, so it was important to keep calm and keep the ball. We have a good team to go forward for the games and fight. We are going to push ourselves.

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix