Hugo Broos and South Africa haven't always appeared to be the most compatible of bedfellows, but ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations semifinal clash against Nigeria, they find themselves united in a mutual quest.
Both Broos and Bafana Bafana are eying a second AFCON title, with the latter having clinched their only crown on home soil on 1996, and the former inspiring Cameroon to an unlikely championship in Gabon six years ago.
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It's this shared ambition that has underpinned the at times uneasy alliance between head coach and national team, with South Africa's run in the tournament steadily quelling tensions between Broos and the South Africa Football Association.
The Belgian has proved to be divisive with his straight-talking approach since being appointed in May 2021, winning over some who queried his appointment by refusing to play the politician, but antagonising others and finding himself caught in the crosshairs amid ongoing tensions between SAFA and the domestic Premier Soccer League.
In this context, Bafana's performance in the Ivory Coast has been a refreshing distraction.
They've reached the semifinals for the first time since 2000 and in Broos, have a head coach who has already guided a team to AFCON glory against a backdrop of scepticism and disunity.
"This was the case with Cameroon seven years ago," Broos told ESPN.
"When we left Cameroon, no one believed in us, and we still went and won the AFCON.
"I'm hoping now that we can carry on the journey, and can win [the title] again. It means a lot [to reach the semifinal] as many people in South Africa didn't believe in their team.
"However, the players believed this could happen, and it has."
During his tenure, Broos has taken repeated swipes at the PSL, making no secret of his unhappiness with what he perceives to be the league's low standards.
In June, he criticised the PSL's level and the league's inability to develop high quality players, and doubled down on this argument in November when he argued that Mamelodi Sundowns' domestic dominance and the division's lack of competitiveness was hurting the national side.
Even in January, he was critical of the league's intensive scheduling ahead of AFCON, and the authorities' failure to grant sufficient rest time to the players despite their increasing workload.
"I think a lot of people are now convinced that the PSL's level has to be higher," he said ahead of South Africa's semifinal against Nigeria on Wednesday.
"We have to work on that. [Bafana] are playing very intensive games, and some players are suffering, so it means that the level has to be higher.
"I think it's the right moment now to do that but right now, being in the semifinal is something that's very special for South African football. Let's hope [on Wednesday] we can make a surprise, because the hunger to play Sunday's final is big."
Despite Broos's criticism, his semifinalists remain predominantly picked from the PSL, with a squad containing only three non-South Africa-based players holding its own against the continent's finest so far.
While there's a dearth of top end know-how, Broos believes his experience with Cameroon, who negotiated a sluggish start to the tournament but ultimately got over the line against Egypt in 2017, can provide Bafana's local stars with a blueprint to get over the line.
"You know, I'm not superstitious, but when you see the route that we've had here, and the route we had with Cameroon, it's almost exactly the same," Broos said.
"The group phase was unconvincing, then we beat Senegal on penalties [after a 0-0 draw] and here, we beat Cape Verde on penalties [after a 0-0 draw].
"It's the same route, and I've experienced it before. For the players who are less experienced, this was a great experience that I already had, so I am trying to help them a lot.
"I think they're well prepared, they know what can happen, it was the same with Cameroon seven years ago."
As with Cameroon in 2017 -- written off before they left Yaounde -- there is less expectation on Bafana from back home, while Nigeria's supporters will hardly accept the Super Eagles falling short in the latest chapter of this fierce rivalry.
Broos believes it could just give South Africa the edge.
"We have nothing to lose," Broos said.
"The AFCON has already been a great success for us. We're in the semis, no one could have thought that when we left South Africa.
"Our mindset [against Nigeria] will be very different [from the Cape Verde game.] We'll be less nervous, and I'm certain the pressure will be less, although that's not to say we don't want to play the final."
Back in 2017, Broos also came up against heavyweight west African opponents, as Cameroon absorbed the pressure against Avram Grant's fancied Ghana side before netting twice in the final 18 minutes to progress to the final.
The Belgian's Indomitable Lions provided the blueprint all those years ago, as they shrugged off pessimism back home to conquer the continent.
Can Bafana now emulate Broos's previous charges against the Super Eagles?