Mdaka wants more from South Africa U23 after narrow Madagascar victory

South Africa U23 coach Raymond Mdaka says his side must improve after a 1-0 victory over Madagascar in the opening match of their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying tie at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Quwan Plaatjies came off the bench to score the decisive goal late in the second half, handing Amaglug-glug an away goal in a match officially designated as a Madagascar home fixture.

Madagascar were forced to play in Pretoria because they do not have suitable facilities meeting CAF and Fifa standards for international Olympic qualifying matches.

The sides will meet again at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday at 8pm, with the winners progressing to face either Rwanda or Cameroon in the third round.

Mdaka was encouraged by the result but felt South Africa should have made their dominance count by scoring more against a disciplined Madagascar team.

“I think had we converted the few chances we got, it should have given us that leverage a bit, so we ended up being frustrated because sometimes when you want goals, and they are not coming, it is frustrating,” Mdaka told the media after the match.

“But all good for us, and we are looking forward to the next game on Tuesday.”

The coach warned that the tie remains open and said his players would need to show greater commitment in the second leg.

He also rejected any suggestion that Madagascar, or other teams from the region, could be underestimated.

“You always think twice about playing Angola, Zambia or Mozambique. Honestly, I think there is a lot of improvement among the teams that we are playing against,” he said.

“You can also attest to that with what you saw from Madagascar. There is no team that you can look down on … They are very good. Football has improved a lot among the Cosafa [teams].”

Madaka said Madagascar had been difficult to assess before Saturday’s match, but the first meeting had provided his technical team with valuable information ahead of the return fixture.

“For the technical team, at least we’ve got something to work off. Opponents cannot change overnight, so seeing them once means 50% of what we are doing is already mapped out.

“We went into this game without any technical analysis of the opposition. They were a closed book, very closed, whereas they knew all about us. What we gathered from the first leg will help us understand the kind of players we are up against and their style of play.”

South Africa will now attempt to protect their narrow advantage while securing a stronger performance and progress to the next stage of the qualifiers.