Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos sounded dejected in the post-match press conference after his side failed to beat Zimbabwe in their FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, describing it as a “sad evening” for his team.

Despite dominating the game from start to finish, Bafana Bafana were left frustrated after striking the woodwork twice — Mohau Nkota in the first half and Lyle Foster in the second to see the game end goalless draw.

Both teams finished the match with 10 men after Knowledge Musona was sent off for Zimbabwe and Mbekezeli Mbokazi received his marching orders for Bafana. Mbokazi will now miss Tuesday’s crucial clash against Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium.

To make matters worse, Benin secured a 1-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali, moving to 17 points after nine matches, two ahead of South Africa at the top of Group C.

“We had no luck, especially in the second half. We were fighting against a team that fought for every ball,” Broos said after the game.

“Now, we don’t have it in our hands anymore. It’s still possible, but after this result, it’s much more difficult. Maybe with a little miracle on Tuesday, we can still qualify.

“It’s not completely lost, but it’s out of our hands. Let’s see what happens between Benin and Nigeria. It won’t be easy — but it’s still possible. It’s a sad evening for us.”

Bafana Bafana now face a must-win match against Rwanda and will be hoping Nigeria, who beat Lesotho on Friday, can also defeat Benin on Tuesday to keep South Africa’s qualification dream alive.

In the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, while the four best runners-up will get a second chance via a play-off round.