7 September 2019 – SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan alongside Bafana Bafana head coach Molefi Ntseki, applauded South Africa’s National Under-23 side on their impressive 5-0 third round, first leg U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win against Zimbabwe on Friday.
Dr Jordaan, who initially had a private meeting with the National Under-23s to spur them on leading up to this tie, said that he was most pleased with how they responded and carried themselves on the pitch.
The SAFA president further went on to state that the job is not done yet, as he is expecting nothing but a win when they meet Zimbabwe in the Second leg.
The second leg tie between South Africa and Zimbabwe will be played in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Tuesday, 10 September at Barbourfields Stadium.
That match will kick-off at 15h00.
“You have won this game but you must go to Zimbabwe and play like you would be meeting them for the first time in this round,” Dr Jordaan said. “When that whistle blows, you must give it the same effort, same energy and the same determination of wanting to win like you did in this first leg match.
“You now have one foot into this year’s U-23 Africa Cup of Nations and you must never take it back. Qualifying for the Olympics will be both good for your careers and the country’s football as well.
“Well done on this match’s performance, however, you must now go to Zimbabwe and finish the job.”
Bafana Bafana head coach Ntseki, shared the same sentiments.
“Well done on what was a very solid performance against your opponents,” Ntseki said. “You could easily pick up that this is a group of talented players with good chemistry both on and off the field and I would like to commend the technical staff for putting together a squad which fights for one another like you guys do. The job is not yet done, though. However, I have all the belief in the world that you will return with nothing but a win from Zimbabwe.”