It might be close to a year since Hildah Magaia left Sweden’s club league, but she still holds some invaluable insights about their national team.
History awaits the Banyana Banyana striker as she is on course to make her Women's World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand on Sunday.
Having scored some invaluable goals for the national team – in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final, and their final warm-up match against Costa Rica last Saturday – Magaia is high in confidence going into the tournament.
“I could say that the free-kick (against Costa Rica) has given me a lot of confidence going into the first game. It was a motivation that proved that I could do anything,” Magaia said.
Banyana will begin their World Cup campaign against third-ranked Sweden in Group G at the Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 7am).
These are opponents Magaia knows all too well as she earned her first professional contract at Morön BK, a Swedish top-flight outfit, in 2020 after leaving Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).
But while she might have since left Swedish shores to call Sejong Sportstoto in South Korea home, the 28-year-old striker still knows a thing or two about the Swedes.
“I believe that I still have some insights about the Swedes, and I believe that if we can use that as a team, we’ll be able to get the result that we want,” Magaia said.
“Even though things have changed (after leaving Sweden), I still carry some insights, and I remember how they play and all that.”
Those memories will come in handy, given that Banyana are looking for their first positive result against the Swedes, who beat them in the opening matches of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics Games.
Having overcome a lot of adversity in the past few years to become the queens of Africa, the current crop of players have been tipped to spring a surprise Down Under.
While Magaia is also taking a lot of positives from the camaraderie within the team, especially after their Wafcon success, she’s urged her teammates to live up to the lofty billing of the World Cup.
“The motivation that I take from the Wafcon is the continuation from what I and the team did,” Magaia added via the Safa media department.
“But at the same time, it’s also about upping the intensity (of our game) a bit higher – this is the highest stage and one has to be ready for anything (that comes her way).”
The Desiree Ellis-coached Banyana had a debut World Cup to forget in 2019, crashing out in the group stage after losing to Spain, China and Germany.
That’s why they will have to put their best foot forward from start to finish against Sweden, who pose an aerial threat, and increase the tempo as the game progresses.
“We should go there with a positive mind, positive energy, so that we cannot be threatened by them having a higher ranking,” Magaia said.
“That’s what we can do, so we can gain the confidence going into the game and not be intimidated by them.”
IOL Sport