Bafana Chan coach Ntseki expecting tough battle against Niger in crucial group clash
Bafana go into the match sitting third in the Group C with four points from two matches, and three more points will help them to remain in control of their destiny as the knockout stages approaches.
'I think the lessons learned from that game [against Guinea], which we view as positives, include the strong mentality of our players and their high level of concentration.
'This is despite the fact that they were under siege for the better part of the match,' he said.
'We stuck to our discipline and game plan and every member of the team had to dig deep to make sure the result ended in our favour. The most important thing was the technical discipline when we were out of possession.
'They carried out their technical discipline for almost 60 minutes during the game. There were turnovers and transitions for and against in between. We managed to hold onto the ball for longer periods, we managed to create goal scoring opportunities and we managed to score the two goals.
'In terms of not conceding towards the end of the game when the pressure was mounting on us, I think it was a very good lesson and also a plus for our players to show we can play under pressure, we canl grind out the results despite the fact that the opponents were coming at us.'
Defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele said they won't underestimate Niger.
'We never underestimate anybody. We treat each game with respect and approach it with a positive mindset. One of the strongest components we have in our team is we're mentally very strong.
'We don't look at the name of the country. Whoever we play against, we always try and give our best because we know we're representing our country,' he said.
'Whether we play Niger, Sudan or Nigeria, we can never walk onto a football pitch and think we have won the game. We go out there every day to suffer, to protect the badge and to fight for our country.
'In this team, there's never a moment where we look at the country and say it's a small country because they haven't won a game, and then we approach it with a negative mindset.
'We always focus and play to win. Whether it's Uganda, Niger, Guinea or Algeria, we go in with the same mentality.'
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'In terms of not conceding towards the end of the game when the pressure was mounting on us, I think it was a very good lesson and also a plus for our players to show we can play under pressure, we canl grind out the results despite the fact that the opponents were coming at us.' Defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele said they won't underestimate Niger. 'We never underestimate anybody. We treat each game with respect and approach it with a positive mindset. One of the strongest components we have in our team is we're mentally very strong. 'We don't look at the name of the country. Whoever we play against, we always try and give our best because we know we're representing our country,' he said. 'Whether we play Niger, Sudan or Nigeria, we can never walk onto a football pitch and think we have won the game. We go out there every day to suffer, to protect the badge and to fight for our country. 'In this team, there's never a moment where we look at the country and say it's a small country because they haven't won a game, and then we approach it with a negative mindset. 'We always focus and play to win. Whether it's Uganda, Niger, Guinea or Algeria, we go in with the same mentality.'
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20 hours ago
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South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki says they learnt valuable lessons from their hard fought win over Guinea earlier in the week to take to their African Nations Championship [Chan] group clash against Niger at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Friday night. Bafana go into the match sitting third in the Group C with four points from two matches, and three more points will help them to remain in control of their destiny as the knockout stages approaches. 'I think the lessons learned from that game [against Guinea], which we view as positives, include the strong mentality of our players and their high level of concentration. 'This is despite the fact that they were under siege for the better part of the match,' he said. 'We stuck to our discipline and game plan and every member of the team had to dig deep to make sure the result ended in our favour. The most important thing was the technical discipline when we were out of possession. 'They carried out their technical discipline for almost 60 minutes during the game. There were turnovers and transitions for and against in between. We managed to hold onto the ball for longer periods, we managed to create goal scoring opportunities and we managed to score the two goals. 'In terms of not conceding towards the end of the game when the pressure was mounting on us, I think it was a very good lesson and also a plus for our players to show we can play under pressure, we canl grind out the results despite the fact that the opponents were coming at us.' Defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele said they won't underestimate Niger. 'We never underestimate anybody. We treat each game with respect and approach it with a positive mindset. One of the strongest components we have in our team is we're mentally very strong. 'We don't look at the name of the country. Whoever we play against, we always try and give our best because we know we're representing our country,' he said. 'Whether we play Niger, Sudan or Nigeria, we can never walk onto a football pitch and think we have won the game. We go out there every day to suffer, to protect the badge and to fight for our country. 'In this team, there's never a moment where we look at the country and say it's a small country because they haven't won a game, and then we approach it with a negative mindset. 'We always focus and play to win. Whether it's Uganda, Niger, Guinea or Algeria, we go in with the same mentality.'
