The South African National Under 20 Women’s Team (Basetsana) are on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup finals and making history as South Africa’s first national women’s soccer team to qualify for a global competition, as they carry a slender lead to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for this weekend’s second leg encounter.
Aiming to complete this final leg to qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup scheduled for November this year in Chile, the South Africans are well-positioned after claiming a 3-1 victory in the first leg at home two weeks ago, and the team is determined to do well against their DRC counterparts.
The match will be played at Stade Des Martyrs in Kinshasa in a 3:30pm kick off. SAFA President Dr Molefi Oliphant says Basetsana are carrying the hopes of the Nation and are just one step away from making history.
"We are proud of the team’s achievements to date, as SAFA we have prepared adequately for this qualifying campaign, starting with taking the team for a preparatory camp in Germany and Holland last year, and that resulted in Basetsana’s defence of the COSAFA Cup on behalf of the senior team.
"We wish Basetsana and the technical team all the best against the DRC on Saturday and we remain optimistic that they will continue their winning ways," concluded Oliphant.
In the meantime Coach Anna Monate says the team is well prepared for the Saturday showdown, "We are playing against a competitive side away from home, and we are united in saying there is no room for complacency in this all important match.
"Our previous matches and victories are history now, we have a new objective to accomplish; and that is qualifying for the Women’s under 20 World Cup, it is everyone’s dream in the camp and I know it is SAFA’s goal as well, considering the amount of preparation that has gone into this campaign," added Monate.
The team departs for the DRC from the OR Tambo International Airport on Friday at 8:45am.
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