Banyana Banyana’s Linda Motlhalo believes now is the time to clinch the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after missing out in 2018 final when they lost to the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
The South Africans, who are making their second consecutive appearance in the final, face the hosts, Morocco, on Saturday evening, with both teams eyeing their first continental silverware.
“It means a lot to me. We have to win this gold. We’ve come so close, so many times it’s about time. It’s a must. We didn’t have any choice. In 2018, I missed a penalty. Had I scored that penalty, we were going to get gold,” said Motlhalo on Extra-Time on GagasiFM.
“Of course, pressure is there. We’ve been here so many times. Finally, it’s about time we clinch the gold. We’ve got great support as a team, and we feel it possible to get gold medals. We’ll keep on working very hard and come with the gold.”
“We’ve analysed them [Morocco], we realised it’s a ball-playing team on the ground like us. They have weaknesses. All will be out in the field of play.”
The 24-year-old, who sent Desiree Ellis’ team to the final by netting a stoppage-time penalty against Zambia, believes qualifying for the 2023 FIFA World Cup will pave the way for her teammates to get attraction from overseas teams.
“[Qualifying for the World Cup] It will open doors not for me alone but also for my teammates. That’s what we want. We want to see more players overseas because our South African women’s league is still developing. That’s the aim, for players to play abroad at the highest level,” Motlhalo added.
The Djurgarden FC star, who boasts two goals in the tournament, will be chasing the Top scorer award and is one of the players to watch out for in the final. Following Thembi Kgatlana’s injury that ruled her out for the rest of the competition, Motlhalo and Jermaine Seoposenwe, who has two goals, also are expected to lead Banyana’s attacking line.
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