Super Falcons Coach Randy Waldrum is confident the team will edge the Banyana Banyana in the return leg of their Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifiers today in Pretoria.
The Falcons beat the reigning WAFCON champions, South Africa, 1-0 in Abuja through Rasheedat Ajibade’s first half penalty kick and Waldrum has assured his wards would be at their best.
“We will go into the return (leg) the same way we played the first leg. We will be confident. They may change their tactics a little bit. We can change ours too, a little,” Waldrum told Super Falcons Media. “Our players know they have just one game away from achieving their goal and getting to Paris. I feel confident in the players we have that we would get the needed results.”
The American praised the Falcons composure, confidence and poise against the Banyana Banyana, adding his girls dominated and should have scored more goals.
“I am really proud of the way we came out and displayed confidence from the beginning of the match we were composed and controlled the game. I guessed the possession would be 60:40. We minimised their opportunities and I think they only had two chances in the game. We executed everything we put into the game plan very well.
“We would have liked to score more goals but overall I’m really proud of the performance we put in.
“I don’t think we struggled in the match at all. We controlled the game and we were never really in danger in the game. What we didn’t do to our satisfaction was the lack of conversion of the chances we had. Had we scored the second goal I would have loved it because we would have got more thereafter.
“But even if we had scored a couple of goals, we would have to play the second leg and South Africans are capable of scoring two goals too as well. We have to go to South Africa with the same mind-set to get a result.”
