South Africa’s midfielder, Nompulelelo Nyandeni, has admitted that her team faces an uphill task, when they take on defending champions, Nigeria, in the semi-final of the ongoing African Women’s Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The Super Falcons finished top of their group ahead of Ghana and will take on the Bayana Bayana, who were Group A runners-up behind hosts Cameroon.
Although Nyandeni agrees it will not be an easy match, she insists they can win it.
“It is always a battle of the best when we face Nigeria,” Nyandeni told Supersport.
“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 and 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, so our confidence levels are on a high after the win against Egypt,” she continued.
“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.”
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