Playing against Falcons is always like a cup final – S/African midfielder

Ahead of the semi-final clash between Nigeria’s senior women team and their South African cointerparts on November 29 at the ongoing African Women Cup of Nations, Banyana Banyana midfielder Nompulelelo Nyandeni has said that playing against Nigeria is always a battle, regardless of the stage both teams may meet in.

The South Africans came second in Group A behind hosts Cameroon, after securing a draw with Zimbabwe, a defeat from Cameroon and a 5-0 win against Egypt. They are in for a tough game against Nigeria’s Falcons, who thrashed Mali 6-0 in their first round-robin stage match‚ then drew 1-1 against Ghana before wrapping up their semifinal place with a 4-0 thrashing of Kenya.

“It is always a battle of the best when we face Nigeria‚” Nyandeni said.

“The rivalry between us started long before our days in the national team‚ and playing against the Super Falcons is always like a cup final‚ regardless of the stage of the tournament.

“In any case once you are in the last four you can’t pick and choose. Those teams did not get there by fluke‚ and to get to the top you have to go past them.

“It is not going to be an easy game but I am confident we can walk away with victory. We have beaten them before and‚ to do that again‚ we will have to play as a team.

“It took us three matches to start scoring goals in this tournament. Our confidence levels are on a high after the win against Egypt.”

Nyandeni said Nigeria is a very balancd side, but have their weaknesses.

“We have been watching their matches since the start of the tournament‚ and will now analyse them with the technical team.

“They are a very balanced side‚ just like us‚ and they are not impossible to beat. If we settle early in the match‚ and follow our game tactics‚ then I believe we stand a good chance of overcoming them,” she stated.

The other semi-final clash will be between hosts Cameroon and Ghana, which will hold at an earlier time on Tuesday in Yaounde.

By Ben Fidelis…

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