25 March 2019 – Under 23 coach David Notoane says they will take a leaf off Bafana Bafana to make sure the team does not slip up in the second leg of the CAF Olympic qualifier against Angola at Bidvest Milpark Stadium on Tuesday, 26 March 2019.
The match which is free of charge (no entrance fee), will kick off at 19h00.
Notoane said while his impressive team is in control of the game, they will not take anything for granted.
“I have seen a lot of strange things happening in football and must be mindful of such pitfalls. But we watched Bafana Bafana seal a berth at the AFCON finals on Sunday and will draw a lot of lessons from there,” said Notoane.
“The lesson from Bafana Bafana game was how they controlled the game and make sure they seal the tie. They needed a point to qualify and controlled the proceedings in a very professional fashion. We will strive to do exactly that,” he said adding that he was happy for the Senior Men’s National team achievements.
“I am very happy for Bafana Bafana qualifying for 2019 AFCON. Congrats to Baxter, players and everyone,” added Notoane.
“The players were like true soldiers and that was a gripping match to watch.”
Coming back to the u23 v Angola game, Notoane said the second leg has a lot of possibilities but the good thing was that South Africa was in control of things.
“We need to stay in control of the tie as long as possible; and how do we do that? First, we need to go out and score first. I believe if we score first, it kills the tie as a contest. From then on we should be in cruise mode.”
However, if Angola scores first, Notoane said it could change the dynamics and the mood of the tie.
“If they score first, we need to react immediately as this will give them some encouragement to push us back, so we need to be mentally strong and remain focussed.”
The coach who is eyeing the ultimate prize of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics said there would be minimum changes in the team if any.