SA U-23s set for big clash

The South African National Under-23 squad have settled in very well in Luanda ahead of the first leg of the Olympic qualifier match against Angola at Estadio 11 de Novembro this afternoon.

The squad have been in camp since Sunday, while some players, particularly overseas-based players only joined the squad on Monday and Tuesday.

Defender Siyabonga Ngezana (above) says everything has been going smoothly leading to this game – all they needed to do as players was to understand one another, but it’s a good thing some players have played together before.

“Preparations were really good, we played some friendly games and everything went well,” said the Kaizer Chiefs defender.

“I think the most important thing is for us as players going into this game was to understand each other as quickly as possible. And as I said before, some of us have played together before. Teamwork will be the key for us to get good results and making sure we get to the next round of the qualifiers.”

The winner of the two-leg tie between South Africa and Angola will meet the winner between Zimbabwe v Mozambique in the second round of qualifying, with the winner of that clash making it to the Caf Eight Nation tournament scheduled for Egypt in November this year, where the three top teams will earn a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.