South Africa head coach Hugo Broos showered praise on his players after their hard-fought third place finish in the Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a 6-5 penalty shoot-out win that came after a 0-0 draw.

The victory handed Bafana Bafana only their second ever AFCON bronze medal and first since 2000. After 11 perfect spot-kicks, DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba crucially missed to hand Bafana Bafana bronze.

Speaking after clinching the third-place finish in Abidjan, Broos showered his squad with praises, making a special mention of the players that were on the bench who rallied the on-field players.

“I said after Nigeria match that I was proud of this team, and I think today people can see why I say I am proud of this team. We were not fresh but when you see the mentality in that group, it is impressive,” said Broos as quoted by CAFOnline.

Broos added: “The boys did very well. They showed great mentality. They tried to do what I asked, and I understand that it was difficult. It shows that we if we have problems, we can count on those who are on the bench.

“I was satisfied with players on the pitch, but I was even more satisfied with those on the pitch. They were encouraging them and pushing them. From this, you know that you have 23 guys who want one thing and that is winning.”