Banyana Banyana and the Super Falcons are set for WAFCON semi-final duel to be played on Tuesday in Casablanca from 18.00 hours SAT.
The Desiree Ellis-led team will be hoping to get a win that will keep them closer to their second title in a row. However, it will not be an easy outing against a team that has beaten them eight times in the initial 11 meetings in the competition.
This will be the fifth time the two nations will play against each other in the semi-final. Nigeria have won four times and Banyana Banyana just once. It explains why Ellis believes South Africa will need no motivation when they come against the nine-time champions.
‘Banyana Banyana have been very busy behind the scenes'
“Nigeria is a familiar team that we’ve played against over the last couple of years. We travelled [on Sunday] and [Monday], and we will have our final training session. There’s not much you can do in one day,” she said as quoted by SAFA.
“But there are a few things that you can tweak, and a few things that you can work on. The technical team has been really busy behind the scenes and is leaving no stone unturned, so I think you don’t need motivation for a semifinal, and we are ready for the game.”
“I don’t think [the past results] mean a lot, it does mean, however, that we know we can get over the line, but I think past results don’t really mean anything because it’s a different tournament and it’s three years down the line. Also, it’s a different coach and some new players, but it’s the same Nigeria and they have the quality. We have to be on top of our game to make sure we get over the hurdle. They are the only country that has defended back-to-back on numerous occasions, and it would be big for our country,” she concluded.
‘We saw the desire and hunger in the team'
Banyana Banyana attacker Gabriela Salgado who made her debut in the tournament, has explained how the win over Senegal in the quarter final reflected the team's desire and ambition ahead of Tuesday's semi-final.
“We know we’re going into the semifinal game, it’s going to be a challenge, but we are physically and mentally prepared. We know the responsibility we hold, and we just look forward to a good game and hopefully finishing it within the 90 minutes,” she stated.
“Every game that we play, we take our lessons, and we obviously take them into the next game and improve what we learned from that game. Just going into this game, I think the Senegal game, of course, brought us together as a team. We saw the desire, the hunger in each other’s eyes, and it brought us just closer together, knowing how we’ll need each other going into the next game. I think the team is prepared, we’re ready, we know what we have to do, and I think everyone is just on the same page, and we are excited for the game,” Salgado concluded.
South Africa beat Nigeria 2-1 in the previous meeting at the 2022 WAFCON, with the former going all the way to win their first-ever title.
