Rodney Reiners
Keagan Dolly owes the SA national U23 side a big performance on Tuesday.
After a disappointing 3-1 opening loss to hosts Senegal in the continental, Olympic-qualifying Eight Nations tournament at the weekend, the South Africans are faced with the possibility of an embarrassing early exit from the event.
The SA U23s take on Zambia at the Leopold Senghor Stadium in Dakar this afternoon (kick-off 5pm) – and the team desperately needs the real Dolly to stand up.
The 22-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns man, usually such an influential presence, failed to spark in the defeat to Senegal. And, in the process, the entire team suffered, especially given the fact that Dolly leads from the front and inspires those around him
It’s probably the fact that Dolly’s name and prowess have spread across the continent that he was so closely marked. The Senegalese offered the former Ajax Cape Town midfielder little space, while Dolly certainly wasn’t helped by the fact that a few of his teammates never turned up for the occasion either.
With all of this, Dolly and the SA U23s are fully aware that victory today is not-negotiable. It’s make-or-break – if they lose to Zambia, the dream of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics will be crushed.
South Africa and Zambia are pointless after losing their opening Group A fixtures to Senegal and Tunisia respectively. The top two teams in the group – Senegal and Tunisia – also clash today, so this fixture will also be closely monitored by SA U23 coach Owen da Gama.
“It was disappointing to start a tournament with a defeat, especially when we have so much quality in our team,” said Dolly. “The loss was an eye opener for us that this tournament is going to be tough.
“But we have to regroup… The Zambia match is going to challenge the belief we have in ourselves and test if we are really a team. We are all aware that the next two games are very important if we want to qualify… we have to start focusing on what’s good for our team, what our strengths are, and play accordingly.”
Dolly was of the opinion that six points – two victories – from their remaining two group games should be sufficient for the semi-finals. The top three countries at the tournament qualify for a place at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
“We have to keep an eye on proceedings in the other match (Senegal v Tunisia), but I don't think we should worry about what happens because it is not in our hands,” said Dolly. “We should just make sure we win our next two games and try to qualify. If we get six points we stand a good chance of proceeding to the last four.
“I still have belief in this team… And I certainly still think we can go far.”