The South African women’s soccer team face Zimbabwe in a second round Olympic qualifier in Harare on Saturday needing a crucial away win, to progress to the next round of qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics.
Banyana Banyana beat their Southern African opponents 2-1 in the first round at the Caledonian Stadium on June 3, but Zimbabwe will have been buoyed after snatching a vital goal, effectively securing a 2-all draw courtesy of the away-goal rule.
So, how is the SA team feeling ahead of this crucial encounter? “Well, only one way, one way is for them to be positive. We still have two days to get through to this final preparations,” Banyana Banyana coach Augustine Makalakalane told gsport.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work at home, because we never know what to be anticipating with the field, the atmosphere and the reception,” said Makalakalane on Thursday.
“But they are very geared up, they know this is a final lap. If this is the only chance they have in their whole lives, this will be the chance, the greatest chance they have to go and represent their country very well.”
Makalakalane indicated that he is satisfied with the team’s preparations, which wrapped up on Wednesday. “We played a couple of games, we played against the School of Excellence U15 boys.
“The boys are quicker, nippier, skilful, they do a lot of possession, and they score goals, so the girls (were) challenged mentally, when they’re conceding a goal against a team that is overpowering them most of the time in the game.
“And yesterday (Wednesday) we played our final match against the High Performance Centre U20 team. Most of the girls in the (national) team come from that High Performance Centre. We beat them 6-0, just to give the girls motivation, for them to go score goals and convert their chances.
“So I’m very happy with having played a very tough game, and then playing an average game, for them to get used to the tactics that we want to apply into the game, so I’m very happy with the progression so far.”
Of even greater significance is the timely return of Banyana’s international players Lena Mosebo and Portia Modise, though both are under observation to determine whether the effects of international travel might prevent them from making the starting line-up.
“Lena’s come back from America, she’ll have flown 24 hours, and Portia came yesterday, still jet-lagged a little bit. I will consult with the medical team how her jet-lag is.”
Modise only arrived late yesterday and could not make it for the final practice game, but Makalakalane is hoping she will still have energy to carry her through the 90 minutes.
“She has played competitive games in Europe, and the weather was not as bad as here, so I hope the change of altitude for her will not be a major factor. But she’s a player, she’s a pro player, and they have to get their mind together, and apply the mind and start to focussing on the game.
“It’s a do-or-die game for us, and we have everybody on board. Whoever is on the bench, whoever is in the starting line-up, has to go flat-out, give their best, and hope for a positive result.”
The coach indicated that he plans to stick to his trademark 4-4-2 strategy, and that the South Africans will attack Zimbabwe from beginning, in the search of early goals.
“Zimbabwe was very defensive when they play us at home, and we’re playing at their home, so they’re going to throw a lot of bodies at us up front, to put us under pressure from beginning. But we have strategies for that kind of approach.
“They will be opening up a lot at the back, because of throwing a lot of players forward to put us under pressure, and that will give us room to play the kind of attack we want to play.
“We are a very attacking-minded team, we always play like that, we try to create chances in different levels in the game, from set pieces, corner kicks, free kicks, individual play, combination play, and normal game play.
“We trying to throw everything at whoever our opposition is, we don’t want to come back and say we want to defend and defend, because the best defense for me is to attack, and that’s what we’re going to do against Zimbabwe.”
The Full South Africa National Women’s Squad to Zimbabwe:
Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Chimeloane
Thoko Mndaweni
Defenders:
Lena Mosebo
Gloria Thato
Keneilwe Mathibela
Janine van Wyk
Bongiwe Radebe
Simphiwe Dludlu
Midfielders:
Memory Makhanye
Nompumelelo Nyandeni
Veronica Phewa
Theresa Biggs
Hlengiwe Ngwane
Kylie-Ann Louw
Strikers:
Thembi Thabethe
Portia Modise
Belinda Nkosi
Mamello Makhabane
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