Khune's hats 'off to Bafana star: He showed his bravery

Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has issued his verdict on the performance of striker Lyle Foster, who was on the scoresheet as Bafana saw off Zimbabwe to progress to the knockout phases of the AFCON.

The 25-year-old registered a goal and an assist in a 3-2 beating of Zimbabwe in Bafana’s last group stage match at the AFCON.

Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis scored Bafana’s other two goals to fend off a spirited comeback from Zimbabwe.

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The goal was a second of the competition for Foster, who also scored in a 2-1 win over Angola last week.

Foster also boasts the joint-highest goal contributions in the AFCON so far, having directly been involved in four goals from his three matches. Only Nigeria's Lookman has registered the same tally.

Reviewing the match on Saturday on SABC Sport, Khune praised Foster for his bravery and showed his class as a Premier League player.

"He showed his bravery for the second goal when he went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and we know the referee will always protect goalkeepers inside the box, but he went for the ball," Khune said of the Burnley star.

"He won the ball, and it went to the back of the net, which is something that we want to see; when strikers are inside the box, they must show hunger, they must show that they want to score.

"He showed that he plays in a European league, where they are very physical. He was even bleeding, but he took one for the team."

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Bafana's win over Zimbabwe means they finish second in Group B behind Egypt and qualify for the knockout phases. 

Their opponents in the last 16 will be either Mozambique, Ivory Coast, or Cameroon.

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Africa Cup Of Nations Bafana Bafana Hugo Broos Itumeleng Khune Lyle Foster