Banyana Banyana are confident of beating Angola again — this time around in their own backyard in Luanda in the team’s second Athens Olympic Games qualifier on Saturday.
The South African senior women’s national squad assembled in Johannesburg to start preparing for the game against the inexperienced Angolans.
Banyana Banyana leave for Angola on Thursday morning without technical director Augusto Palacios, whose club Orlando Pirates tackle Silver Stars in a Castle Premiership match in Mmabatho on Sunday.
‘We are ready for anything that the Angolans will throw at us,†said Banyana Banyana coach Gregory Mashilo, whose charges routed Angola 6-2 in the first leg in Soweto a fortnight ago.
‘Obviously, the Angolans will come up with a completely different squad from the one that we embarrassed in Soweto. We’ve retained the same squad that make the country proud in the first leg.â€
Angola will have to score five goals without conceding if they want to book themselves a place in the last qualifier against the winner between Nigeria and Ghana.
Nigeria and Ghana played to a one-all draw in their first-leg match in Abuja.
‘This is the last hurdle for us before playing the winner between Nigeria and Ghana to determine the only country that will represent Africa at the Olympics in August,†said Mashilo.
‘We are not going to take chances against Angola, I have made it to our players that we will find ourselves in big trouble if we underestimate Angola who will be motivated by the fact that they are playing at home.â€
Some of the key Banyana Banyana players who will leave for Luanda this morning include England-based Veronica Phewa, Portia Modise, Antonio Carelse and Mphumi Nyandeni.
Phewa, Modise and Nyandeni scored all six goals when Banyana Banyana won the first leg. Phewa plays for English Premiership side Arsenal Ladies. — Sapa