By Harry Awurumibe Editor Abuja Bureau
Reigning African champions, South Africa looks set to confirm her status as Nigeria’s next opponents in the final round of CAF qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s football tournament even before their return leg tie against Tanzania at Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, Nelspruit in South Africa.
After thrashing the Tanzanian senior women’s football team 3-0 away from home at Azam Complex Stadium, Dar es Salaam last Friday with goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe (10′); captain fantastic Thembi Kgatlana (58′) and Hildah Magaia (86′), the Banyana Banyana are technically through to the final round where arch-rivals, Super Falcons are waiting to battle them in April for one of the two tickets to represent Africa at 2024 Paris Olympics.
It will take a camel to pass through the eye of a niddle than Tanzania overturning the three goals deficit in the return leg in Mbombela even as the South African head coach Desiree Ellis has warned her charges not to be complacent despite convincing victory over opponents at their back yard.
While a three-goal advantage seems to be quite a comfortable position to be in ahead of the return leg, the former Banyana Banyana captain says the job must be finished at home and that there was no room for complacency.
The reigning CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and her charges who had a successful trip to Tanzania on Friday, 23 February where goals from the attacking trio of Seopesenwe, Kgatlana and Magaia secured a 3-0 away victory for themselves, will like to finish off the hapless Tanzanians at home to have a chance to fight for the Paris Olympics ticket.
Banyana Banyana, who have featured twice at the Olympics (2012, 2016) are looking at making a return to the global showpiece, which will have two spots reserved for Africa.
Commenting on the convincing victory, Ellis said she was happy with the result but believed that her team could still play even better.
“I am very happy with the result, but I also know that we can play way better. I think we can only get better from here onwards. The (domestic) league hasn’t started so it was expected that we might struggle a bit and be rusty playing against a Tanzanian team who’s got mostly local players and they’ve played ten league matches so far”.
“We have to finish the job back home. We don’t want to become complacent. The next goal in the match could change things and we have to score the next goal and once that is over you know then we’ll worry on who we’ll have to face, be it Nigeria be it Cameroon. We still have a job to do. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, we want to make sure that we finish the job”, Ellis stated.
Elsewhere, Zambia with 1-0 win advantage against Ghana courtesy of Rachel Kundananji’s 18 minute goal secured at
Accra Sports Stadium, Accra last Friday is in a pole position to dump Ghana out of the competition when both countries meet again tomorrow at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola. READ ALSO:
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Also,Tunisia has no chance of qualifying for the next round after losing 1–2 to Morocco last Friday at Stade Municipal de Soliman, Soliman as dangerous Moroccans will like to qualify for the Olympics for the first time-ever when they take on Tunisia on Wednesday at Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat.
Victory over Tunisia will pitch the Atlas Lionesses against Copper Bullets or Blavk Queens of Ghana in the fourth round slated for April.
Only two out of the four countries that qualified for the fourth round will pick the Olympics tickets.
