Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Banyana to work extra hard for maximum points
BANYANA BANYANA striker Shiwe Nogwanya won’t play a further part in the Rio Olympics after an ankle injury ruled her out of the competition.
Nogwanya had to be replaced just before halftime of Wednesday’s opening match against Sweden at the Olympic Stadium after a heavy clash saw her limp off the field in the 40th minute.
The 22-year-old Bloemfontein Celtic player had scans on her ankle, and the Banyana medical team felt that she won’t be able to take any further part in the tournament.
Nogwanya was replaced by Linda Motlhalo, who made a considerable impact on attack for Banyana with her pace, but it was not enough to avoid a 1-0 defeat to Sweden.
Now South Africa have it all to do in a must- win encounter against China on Sunday morning 12am SA time, and captain Janine van Wyk believes her team can bounce back.
“Unfortunately it is heartbreaking that we didn’t get any point against Sweden,” Van Wyk told the SA Football Association website.
“I believe they didn’t really deserve the three points, but we have to leave this behind, rectify our mistakes and focus on the next assignment.
“We know it is a very crucial match for us, we also believe we can get maximum points against China – not that we are underestimating them, but I think we can compete well against them as they play similar football to us.”
Banyana goalkeeper Roxanne Barker had an excellent outing against Sweden, but her mistake in the 75th minute led to the decisive goal as she fum- bled a cross from the right, with the ball bouncing over the line.
Coach Vera Pauw has been at pains not to blame Barker for the defeat, but the shot-stopper is hopeful of a turnaround against China.
“We did really well against Sweden, but we were gutted to concede that goal. The only positive is that the performance on that day will surely give us the needed boost to face China with a lot more confidence,” Barker told the Safa website.
“We know our capabilities, we know our strengths and we showed that we can mix it up with the best. While all the matches are very important, the upcoming one with China becomes even more important as we did not get any points in our opener.
“All is not lost, but we have to work extra hard to win because a loss is unthinkable. Also, we don’t want to go to our final match against Brazil (next Tuesday) needing points desperately (to qualify for the quarter-finals).”