Photo Credit - Bafana Bafana - South Africa.
South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki has explained why goals will be very important when they take on Egypt in first round of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier at Free State Stadium on Sunday.
The two nations will face off in a two-legged affair with the overall winner earning a ticket to the tournament scheduled to be co-hosted in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August.
Ntseki added that it was important for the hosts to win the first leg at home before traveling to the North African nation for the return leg on March 9, 2025.
“The team that we have assembled, I think it’s a team that is ready to represent the country with pride. The players we have in camp are very positive and enthusiastic, and they are looking forward to the game tomorrow,” Ntseki said as quoted by SAFA website.
“When you play these types of matches, you need to be very ruthless in the sense that you don’t concede, and you are looking forward to scoring goals at home so that when you go to the second leg you are at an advantage of maybe going through to the next stage of the tournament.
“So on (Sunday), like I said, it will be a very important first leg match at home and we have to play to win. Winning this match will take us into a very comfortable position of qualifying for the next stage of this tournament.”
Meanwhile, Bloemfontein-born Neo Maema will captain Bafana against the Pharaohs and speaking on being named the captain, the player said he was happy to accept the new role to lead the team in his hometown.
“I’m humbled to stand before you guys, before the coaches, and humbled by the chance they’ve given me to be the captain of our national team. We’ve been preparing very well in a very short time, but we are supporting each other in terms of how we need to approach the game,” he said.
“We also have to put ourselves in a good position in terms of playing at home in our country, making our fans very proud. So, it’s a team effort and we must also listen to our coaches to make sure that everything that they’ve told us, we grasp as quickly as possible so that we can be ready for tomorrow’s game.
“The mood is very high. We also have a lot of young players that are willing to listen. We know they are also there to listen to us. I’m happy to be the captain of our team and make sure that we represent the country very well.”
The team will return to Johannesburg on Monday, 3 March 2025 where they will remain in camp until departure to Egypt on March 6.
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