Motau says Banyana have analyzed Ghana ahead of WAFCON opener

Photo Credit - SAFA Media.

Banyana Banyana captain Amogelang Motau has shared the team’s game plan ahead of their opening 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) clash against Ghana in Morocco.

South Africa have set up camp in Casablanca, Morocco, and are working hard in preparation for their first Group C match on Monday, July 7, at Honneur Stadium.

“Again, the focus is mainly on us preparing for Ghana. We have been given an analysis of how they will come at us. We know that they are a very physical team, but again, they are ball players just like us. So we are trying to find ways on how we can break them down, and again we have been at training working on those things and they are coming together,’’ said Motau, as quoted by SABC Sports.

“That’s the mentality they’re (technical team) trying to instil in us, that we come into this tournament just like we came into the last one. We’re contenders, we take it one game at a time. The focus is on ourselves, the analysis team will do the work that’s needed for them to inform us about the game, but other than that, we’re going well,” said Motau, who is also one of the three co-captains in the squad alongside Refiloe Jane and Lebohang Ramalepe.

On the Morocco climate, she said: “The mood is becoming great, we’ve been struggling a little bit with the heat, but I think we’re acclimatizing. Everyone is coming into camp, we're just one player short, but I think we’re getting the hang of it. We're getting our rhythm up, but even today the session had to be cut short a little bit because of the weather. But I think we’re acclimatizing and we’re getting there.”

They will face Tanzania in their second match on Friday, 11 July. Then have a date with Mali in the last fixture of the group stage on Monday, 14 July.

All of South Africa’s group stage matches will take place at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, where Banyana will be based.