Nigeria’s Super Falcons arrived in Pretoria Monday morning, shook off the jet lag with a light training in the evening and are ready to tackle rivals Bayana Bayana of South Africa in second leg Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier.
The Super Falcons have a slim 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Abuja last Friday and must avoid defeat to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 16 years. The match is billed for the Loftus Versfeld Stadium 6.30pm Nigeria time Tuesday.
Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum said the result of the first leg notwithstanding, the team is ready to prove they are the best in Africa, by warding off the Bayana Bayana challenge.
“We want to show we’re the best team in Africa and that we’re a better team.
“I thought we showed that in the first leg and want to do that again when we play South Africa.”
Meanwhile, Bayana Bayana top striker Thembi Kgatlana is confident they can beat the Nigerian women to the Olympic ticket.
“The good thing is [that] this is not a tournament. We know after the game in Pretoria, whoever wins will go through, but they have the advantage after the first leg; there is no away-goal rule.
“I also think that gives us more confidence because we are not chasing the game. We know that we have to win with a better score. We also have an advantage at home with better facilities.”
South African coach Desire Ellis added: “It’s now up to us to take the game to them and make sure that we score and also make sure that we are settled in defence and we don’t concede.
“They don’t have to come. They can sit back, but the onus is on us. We are going back to familiar surroundings and we hope to take the game to them.”
