‘ South Africa will defeat Nigeria again ‘ – Banyana Banyana defender Noko Matlou expresses confidence ahead of Olympic qualifiers

Banyana Banyana defender Noko Matlou has expressed unwavering confidence in South Africa’s ability to triumph over Nigeria in the upcoming final round of Olympic qualifiers.

Randy Waldrum’s team secured their place in the final phase of the qualification campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate victory against Cameroon, while South Africa progressed by defeating Tanzania.

Anticipating the crucial encounter in the Olympic qualifying round, seasoned defender Matlou is optimistic about Banyana Banyana’s prospects of securing a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“I believe we have a chance to qualify for the Olympics. I do believe we will qualify,” Matlou confidently affirmed, as quoted by SABC.

Reflecting on their previous meeting during the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group stage, where Banyana clinched a 2-1 victory over Nigeria, Matlou highlighted South Africa’s recent success against their opponents, winning their last four encounters, which bolsters their confidence heading into the qualifiers.

“We played Nigeria a few times, and we won the last four games we played against them – favor is on our side. We will do well against Nigeria,” she asserted.

Both teams are set to engage in a fierce battle in the final round of qualifiers, with the first leg slated to take place at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Friday, April 5th, followed by the second leg in South Africa on April 9th.