Ronald ‘Stigga’ Ketjijere reflects on Senegal

The match against Senegal will be a tough one and we have to believe [that we can beat them]. Senegal have a lot of professionals based in Europe. They have vast experience and they are a quality side overall. Their aerial dominance will be a key factor. So, when we meet them, we must avoid set pieces by all means. I remember when we played them here in Windhoek, I think one of their two goals came from a set piece and there was nothing we could do because these guys are giants. The only person that could match them was our goalkeeper but at that specific moment, the keeper didn’t come out and as a result, they had a free header… So that is one area they will dominate us. And then, they are not slow in attack. They have a player like Sadio Mane who is very pacey, can take players on and take shots from any angle. So, we are going to be tested, especially our defence, and we must be ready for the test.

However, the good thing is that the Brave Warriors are also quite fast. We have pacey players especially our wingers, and we have pacey strikers like Peter Shalulile. So defensively we must be organised and secondly, we must be ready to attack from deep. I think that is the only way we can beat them. We must respect them, especially our defence, because we will be playing against world class players. But I still fancy our chances, we have a great side, great experience mixed with some pacey youngsters. So, we have a good side but we must believe and concentrate for the full 90 minutes because any lapse of concentration will be punished.