Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini. Picture: safa.net
BANYANA Banyana keeper Andile Dlamini has urged her teammates to adhere to the game plan when the team plays the in-form eSwatini in Friday’s Cosafa Women’s Championship Group A encounter at the Wolfson Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay.
After one round of Group A matches, Eswatini head Group A standings after they walloped Comoros 4-2 in their opening fixture earlier this week. Comoros left the field shell-shocked after they surrendered a 2-0 lead when Eswatini scored four goals in the final 26 minutes of the match.
Dlamini is concerned that opponents will be better prepared to face Banyana after all the Group A teams saw them in action on the opening day of the tournament.
If the hosts battle to impose their gameplan, they could find themselves under pressure and might lose focus.
“We need to stay with what the coaching staff has decided,” said Dlamini. “We saw in the opening game the tactics worked well because we applied it just like the coaches told us.
“Now that teams have seen us in action, we expect great competition in the remaining games. We will be up against tough opponents, but we are determined to maintain our performance. The mood in the camp is positive, and we’ll run out to do our best.”
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said Eswatini showed they are a team with “staying power” after they fought back from that 2-0 deficit.
“They scored a come-from-behind win in great fashion against Comoros,” said Ellis. “This tells you that these players have staying power. What also stood out was their ability to fire shots on goal from far out and this will be a threat.
“We just need to stay on top of our game and make sure we execute our plans. It’s another opportunity to improve as a team after the long lay-off.
“Hopefully we can produce a big improvement on our opening performance and come away with a positive result.
“As the coaching staff, we would like to see the players staying focused and we’ll be looking for commitment. If this all comes together, we’ll attain a positive result.”
The winner of the match will move to the top of their group’s standings. Banyana finish their Group A assignments on Monday afternoon when they run out against Comoros.