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By Ebenezer Bajela
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has revealed the South African contingent will arrive Abuja on Sunday as they continue intense preparation for their highly-anticipated clash with the Super Falcons for a place in the women’s football event of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
An epic showdown awaits in a two-match series in the quest for the Olympic ticket as South Africa, the reigning WAFCON champions, faceoff against the 11-time African champions in the fourth and final round of the qualification series.
The first leg of the encounter is slated for April 5 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, with the return leg scheduled for April 9 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
After being held to a goalless draw in Cameroon, Nigeria snatched a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the second leg of the third round in Abuja to set up a date with Banyana, who comfortably defeated Tanzania 4-0 on aggregate.
Ellis, who has been vocal ahead of the mouth-watering clash, said the team would arrive Nigeria on Sunday, five days before the fixture.
“The first leg will be key,” Ellis was quoted saying by timeslive, a South African publication.
“Getting a positive result in the first leg will take a lot of pressure of us because the travelling is long and there’s little time to prepare for the second leg.
“We’re going early to Nigeria (Sunday) to prepare there as well. We need to get a positive result to take pressure off us coming home.
“We want to get home with little pressure and we’re also urging the fans to come out in their numbers because when we play away the stadiums are packed.”
While the team has been buoyed by the return of injured quartet captain Refiloe Jane, Bambanani Mbane, Sibulele Holweni and Bongeka Gamede, they will however be without first choice goalkeeper Andile Dlamini but Ellis remains confident.
“It doesn’t affect us much. We have a group of players to step in if somebody steps out. It gives an opportunity for someone else to raise their hand,” Ellis said.
Ellis’s women are favourites to pick one of the two tickets from Africa following the recent results between the two countries.
Banyana have claimed four victories from their last five meetings against the Falcons, with their last encounter at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco ending 2-1 in favour of the South Africans.