JOHANNESBURG – Bafana Bafana attacker Lebogang Manyama has asked his teammates to maintain the intensity that saw them dismantle Nigeria in Tuesday's friendly international against Zambia.
Manyama who came on as a substitute in the match, at Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo, which Bafana Bafana won 2-0. He said the Chipolopolo would want to redeem themselves against South Africa at at Moruleng Stadium (7pm kickoff) at following a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Mozambique.
“Yes, Saturday’s match against Nigeria was a massive morale booster but we should not get carried away. We have a long way to go to get to the levels where we want to be and become a dominant force again,” he said.
“Zambia’s pride was dented over the weekend and they would like to redeem themselves in this game. We must be vigilant and put 150 percent in whatever we do going forward.”
Manyama said he was happy with the camaraderie in the national set up adding all of the players were pulling in one direction.
“Even those on the bench, you could see they were all rooting resolutely for those on the pitch up to die for the country. In the end, Nigeria could not cope with our pace especially late in the second half when we could easily have added two or three more goals,” Manyama said.
“We need to continue what we started in Nigeria, make winning a culture and the rest will follow. We need to have a go at Zambia because they can turn out to be tricky customers.
Coach Baxter concurred with the forward saying it was important to keep developing a winning South Africa style.
“It is a process and we need to maintain against Zambia because if we beat Nigeria and lose against Zambia, we will get the stick. We have begun a process of developing something big. We need to maintain that pace against Zambia,” Baxter said.
The coach reiterated the need for fans, all stakeholders including the PSL to pull in one direction to achieve bigger things. He said there was a glimpse of that South African style in Saturday’s game.
“I saw that great technique, arrogance, stability on the ball and confidence; this is a typical South African culture of playing football. Who knows, we might be starting something special.
“We had that tenacity in defence and creativity in the midfield; this is the hallmark of South African style of football. But winning helps players develop mentally and physically. It breeds confidence. I would like a team that also responds strongly to adversity. That is how great football nations are made,” concluded Baxter.