Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana captain Itumeleng Khune says the key to overcoming Ethiopia in their 2014 World Cup qualifying match on Sunday will be scoring goals.
“We have to hit them where it hurts the most – in the back of the net,” said Khune.
“They have a couple of dangerous players but we know what we need to do. We are confident even though we will have the crowd against us.”
Khune said his charges would not underestimate Ethiopia, who were currently top the group and two points ahead of Bafana, with two games remaining.
“Ethiopia are a very strong side; very organised and they like to play carpet football but I think we have equally good players that can deal with that threat.
“We have shown great discipline and good attitude in our matches and that can go a long way in giving us results we need.”
Khune said despite his team's 3-0 crushing of Central African Republic last weekend, the victory would mean little if they did not beat Ethiopia as well.
“It is important to finish what we started. We will not have achieved our goals if we were to go back home with just three points from both games.
“Maximum points is our target. I believe we have a great team that can beat Ethiopia in their backyard.”
The goalkeeper said it was the dream of every player in the side to make it to the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
“We all want to play on the big stage. Most of the players in the current team played in the 2010 World Cup tournament, so we know what its like to be there and we would want a repeat of that.
“More importantly, for the country to be represented at the World Cup is a great feeling. For me personally, I would really love to play in my second World Cup tournament, so this game means a lot to all of us.” – Sapa