Banyana Banyana players will go into their opening FIFA World Cup G match against Sweden with their confidence sky high.
The confidence stems from registering a morale boosting 2-NIL victory against Costa Rica in their final warm-up match in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday.
The players took some time out to meet local kids and sign some autographs at their base in the New Zealand capital, Wellington.
The African champions were embroiled in a financial disagreement with the South African Football Association, that led to the World Cup-bound team boycotting the send-off warm-up match against Botswana earlier this month.
Banyana Banyana striker Jermaine Seoposenwe says the victory will go a long way in boosting their confidence ahead of the global showpiece.
“We can still get better there is always room for improvement. We minimized the mistakes, which is really good going into the tournament in terms of how we want to play as a team and also a confidence booster for the team. I hope we take the confidence straight into the world cup because it’s going to be a tough one for us, however everyone is in good spirits and ready for the tournament,” says Seoposenwe.
Banyana will make their second appearance at the World Cup. They bowed out in the Group stage in France four years ago.
VIDEO: Banyana complete World Cup preparations with victory over Costa Rica
Although the team performed exceptionally well against Costa Rica, Seoposenwe says there are still some issues to be rectified.
“In the Sweden game its going to be different for us because Costa Rica players are not physical and tall as compared to Sweden players. They didn’t really capitalize on their set pieces, we need to get better at set pieces because we were not tested for this game. We also need to attack quickly and get them on the back foot in terms of the way we have seen them play versus the way we want to play,” she adds.
Banyana Banyana is in Group G alongside Sweden, Italy and Argentina. They will kick off their campaign against Sweden in Wellington on Sunday. -Reporting by Vincent Sitsula
Banyana Banyana Facebook post:
