Banyana Banyana use Madagascar tie to sharpen Olympic preparations

Banyana Banyana take a 4-0 advantage into the second leg of their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifier against Madagascar, but Thembi Kgatlana says the margin should be used to improve rather than relax.

South Africa’s women’s senior national team meet Madagascar at Bloemfontein’s Toyota Stadium at 18:00 today, with a place in the next stage within reach after last Friday’s first-leg victory.

The opening match was also played at Toyota Stadium, although Madagascar were designated as the home side because they do not have a CAF-approved stadium in their own country.

Kgatlana said Banyana Banyana would respect their opponents while using the second meeting to address areas where they can develop as a team.

“We have a four-goal lead. Not that we are undermining Madagascar, but we also believe [we will be] using the game to focus on the things we wanna do better and get better as a team,” she told the media.

The striker also called on supporters in Bloemfontein to attend the evening fixture in large numbers.

“I would like to ask people in Bloemfontein to come and support Banyana. It’s a night game, so people should come out in numbers to support Banyana on Tuesday.”

Ellis demands a professional display

Head coach Desiree Ellis has warned her players that the scoreline does not remove the need for a focused performance.

The recent results may have put Banyana Banyana in control of the tie, but Ellis wants them to begin strongly and prevent Madagascar from gaining any foothold in the match.

“The plan is to first secure the game; 4-0 doesn’t mean we can underestimate them, we still have to play really well from the start to make sure that they don’t get a foothold in the game,” Dr Ellis told SAFA media.

Ellis said the team’s initial objective had been to put the tie beyond Madagascar’s reach, but insisted that the second leg still required a disciplined approach.

“We said we wanted to take the tie away from them, and I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but we have to play really badly that we don’t get through this round, but we still have to put up a professional performance.”