Johannesburg – Safa president Dr Danny Jordaan has wished Basetsana well ahead of the all-important clash against their counterparts from Nigeria.
The SA Under-20 women’s national team will meet the Falconets in the second leg of the third and final round of the Under-20 Fifa Women’s World Cup, Papua New Guinea 2016 qualifier.
The match will be played at Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa on Sunday (kick-off at 3pm).
“You can write your own history because no South African Under-20 Women’s National Team has ever qualified for the World Cup. The exciting thing is that you are just one match away from doing just that.
“In order to get here you went through a difficult path during the qualifiers – you went to Botswana, Zambia, and Nigeria – now it’s the last hurdle, perhaps the most important 90 minutes of your lives. Go there and play with your hearts, give your all and never give up,” said Dr Jordaan.
“I can’t give you a place in the World Cup, nobody can give you a place in the World Cup, you must take it. You need determination, a fighting spirit and a spirit of never to surrender. You have just one chance to go to the World Cup, and that chance is now.”
The president also gave the players a lesson in history to inspire them. He told them of many years ago when there were still slaves in the US and they would run away from their masters to escape slavery.
“There is a song that goes: ‘We have come too far to turn back now, nobody told me the road would be easy, but I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.’ That song was sung by the slaves.
“In their journey of running away, they would see the bright lights of a city in front of them, and behind them would be the police with dogs trying to capture them again. They would discuss whether to turn back or continue with their escape plan and they would sing that song,” said Jordaan.
“That’s where you are at the moment, you are sitting at the corner of the cotton fields, you can see the bright lights of Papua New Guinea, and you are saying to yourself we have come too far to turn back now. We are behind you all the way and by the grace of God we will make it. We are going forward, and in this country we say siya phambili. Good luck.”
Nigeria Under-20 won 2-1 in the first leg played at the Abuja National Stadium two weeks ago. The overall winner will qualify for the World Cup in Papua New Guinea.
With Nigeria leading 2-1 from the first leg, any draw means Nigeria qualify for the World Cup but if South Africa wins 1-0 it means they will qualify for the World Cup because of the away goal.
Should the match end in a 2-1 victory to South Africa, extra-time of 15 minutes each half will be played. If both teams score the same number of goals in extra time, the visiting team is declared the winner on the basis of the away goals counting double.
If no goals are scored in extra time, penalty kicks will be taken to determine the winner.
– ANA