Belgium-based midfielder Ayanda Patosi believes victories against Swaziland and Nigeria in their upcoming friendly internationals will go a long way in instilling confidence in the Bafana Bafana squad.
Bafana Bafana play Swaziland on Wednesday at Somhlolo Stadium before returning home for what should be a mouth-watering clash against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday at Mbombela Stadium.
Patosi said he was saddened when he was left out of the 2015 CAF Africa Cup of Nations squad but also understands that football has such disappointments and he had to move on. But the Lokeren FC player is now back in the team and was one of the first players to arrive in camp ahead of the two international friendly matches against Swaziland and Nigeria.
“I am very happy to be back in the team. I have always wanted to be part of the squad. It has always been a dream of mine to play for Bafana Bafana since I was a kid, now I have that opportunity to play again and I am happy I am here,” said Patosi in an interview with SAFA Media.
“I was very saddened when I was not named in that squad, but then again it is all part of the game. It happened and I just had to be strong and move on, but you must also bear in mind that a very good squad was selected. It was just unfortunate that we did not bring back the required results because the guys really gave their all in Equatorial Guinea. But that is all behind me now and here I am again so I have to take the chance with both hands and do my best,” he said.
The two international friendly matches against Swaziland and Nigeria offers an opportunity to Bafana Bafana to redeem themselves following the disappointment of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The South Africans went to Equatorial Guinea with high hopes only to bomb out in the first round. Nevertheless, they dished up some of the most inspiring performances and many felt with better defending in key stages, they could have perhaps gone far in that tournament.
“These (Swaziland and Nigeria) should be good games for our team. They will help us to develop a lot as we will learn something from both matches. They offer different approaches and different threats and we have to treat them with a great degree of importance. A good win against Swaziland will give us a morale booster ahead of the perhaps more difficult clash against the Super Eagles of Nigeria,” said Patosi.
The last time Bafana Bafana played Nigeria, Patosi was a spectator as he missed out on selection but said he was nevertheless impressed with the fighting spirit in the team.
“In fact if you look closely at the matches in the 2015 qualifiers, we played very well against Nigeria. We actually dominated in some stages and were on the brink of victory but could not finish them off. We have to beat them this time because we had so many chances in our last two matches against them. I was in Cape Town watching the match and was very impressed by our players. This time I am part of the team and would like nothing but victory over them,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment
drop your comment about your football hero, their fashion style, like who dresses most, who drink most ,who hang out most like going to club , who plays with woman most and so on