SECONDROUND

Bantwana 5, Morocco 1 Morocco 0, Bantwana 1

I didn’t know what to expect from the Moroccan team (because they had a bye in the preliminary round and their match against Equatorial Guinea in the second round was cancelled after Equatorial Guinea withdrew). But I knew that we were better than them and we showed that. Winning 5-1 at home was nice.

We didn’t expect to win with such a score-line which made the win even nicer. It was an amazing feeling. There was a belief in the team that we had already qualified for the World Cup after the first game even though some players were nervous and anxious. Their nerves and anxiousness kept us grounded. The coach (Simphiwe Dludlu) encouraged us to go to Morocco and try our best. The long trip to Morocco (via Accra and Abidjan) wasn’t nice to be honest. But it gave us a chance to bond as a team, especially when we were waiting in transit. It made us tight as a unit and we stayed mentally sharp. We were very close when we were going to Morocco because we had spent more time together than we did before our trip to Botswana. We knew each other personally. I was over the moon when the final whistle was blown to confirm our qualification for the World Cup. I can’t even describe how I felt because I was overcome by so many emotions. Now the real hard work starts because we want to make South Africa and Africa proud.