Slow-starting Banyana must up pace in semi
Mental battle will be key as Nigeria boast better stats in head-to-heads
THE mind games started before it was even official that Banyana Banyana would meet Nigeria in the semi-final of the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWC). And now that it’s official, they will intensify before tomorrow’s clash in Limbe given that the two nations share a hotel.
“You must beat Egypt so that we can beat you guys in the semi-final,” one Banyana player was told by a Nigerian counterpart in a lift last week.
The nine-time African champions didn’t even think that there was a possibility that they wouldn’t top Group B because of their dominance there, even though there was a mathematical chance that they could be leapfrogged in the final round of group matches. The 11 goals that Nigeria scored in three games is the same number of goals that all four teams in Group A – Cameroon, Banyana, Egypt and Zimbabwe – managed, just to highlight how unstoppable the Super Falcons have been.
The Nigerians have also been dominant in their clashes with Banyana, rendering this a one-sided rivalry. The political and financial battles that these two nations wage are not the only thing that can be termed rivalry. In football, Nigeria have reigned supreme. But four years ago, in the 2012 AWC, Banyana stunned the West Africans in the semi-final with a 1-0 victory.
It was the side’s first win over Nigeria in a competitive match. Noko Matlou, then a striker, was there when Banyana finally put one over the Super Falcons.
“We have to first prepare ourselves mentally because we know that it’s war whenever we meet them,” Matlou said. “If we are mentally stronger, we can beat them because we have done it in the past. The beautiful football that we have played has also seen us win over a number of Cameroonian fans.
“If we continue with that, we will be in a good position because they will continue to back us against Nigeria. Having them in our corner will be a good thing because it will frustrate Nigeria.”
The tranquil surroundings of Limbe have been a welcome change for Banyana from the chaotic scenes of the capital, Yaounde. Even language-wise Limbe is welcoming for the South Africans. They speak English here unlike in Yaounde where French is the dominant language. The South Africans’ composure helped them to a 5-0 thrashing of Egypt at Limbe Omnisports Stadium to book a place in the semi-final.
“Getting to this stage wasn’t easy for us,” said Matlou. “We made things hard for ourselves by drawing and losing our first two matches. We put ourselves under too much pressure in our first couple of games which is why we tend to start badly. We did the same thing in Namibia (in the 2014 AWC). But we recover well and I think that the momentum will do us good in the semi-final.”
Banyana watched Nigeria demolish Kenya 4-0 to top Group B, with Ghana joining them in the last four. The Black Queens take on the hosts Cameroon in Yaounde in tomorrow’s first semi at 5pm South African time. Three hours later in Limbe, Banyana face Nigeria. For Banyana to achieve that, they must win the mental battle that will come when they bump into each other in the hotel and when they’re reminded how one-sided their past meetings have been in the favour of the Super Falcons.