National under-23 captain Keagan Dolly was delighted with the impact made by the Orlando Pirates duo of Menzi Masuku and Gift Motupa after the junior national team's 3-2 victory over Zambia on Tuesday.
Masuku and Motupa were on the scoresheet, sharing three goals between them in a space of seven minutes to inspire a come-from-behind victory at the CAF Under-23 Championship.
It was a huge win for the SA side eager to book a spot at next year's Rio Olympics after the 3-1 defeat to Senegal in their opening Group A match on Saturday. Their final group game is against Tunisia tomorrow, and they know that there is no room for error.
"We were disappointed after the first game, not only because we lost but because we did not play good football. We started singing before the game [against Zambia] and you could see that the team was focused," Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Dolly said yesterday.
"The addition of Menzi and Gift was really good. In the first game we lacked in creativity going forward, and when they came in they gave us the creativity we needed."
The South Africans went a goal down before half-time and it looked as though it would be another horrible day for the team after a lacklustre first-half display.
"At half-time the coach [Owen da Gama] told us it was our last opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. We had to go out in the second half and fight," Dolly said. "Even when Zambia scored, we still believed we could win. We fought for an early goal and we got three."
Against Tunisia tomorrow (5pm), the under-23s will have to defend much better than they did in the last two matches. They have conceded five goals, but Dolly said they will improve. "We always try to concede less because if we do not concede, the chances of losing a game are not high. But we are confident we can improve," the former Ajax Cape Town star player said.
"We have some insight on how Tunisia play. They have a good team. They are physical, but if we stick to our game I believe we can win. Hopefully, we can take momentum and the same spirit into the next game."
Dolly hails Pirates pair
National under-23 captain Keagan Dolly was delighted with the impact made by the Orlando Pirates duo of Menzi Masuku and Gift Motupa after the junior national team's 3-2 victory over Zambia on Tuesday.
Masuku and Motupa were on the scoresheet, sharing three goals between them in a space of seven minutes to inspire a come-from-behind victory at the CAF Under-23 Championship.
It was a huge win for the SA side eager to book a spot at next year's Rio Olympics after the 3-1 defeat to Senegal in their opening Group A match on Saturday. Their final group game is against Tunisia tomorrow, and they know that there is no room for error.
"We were disappointed after the first game, not only because we lost but because we did not play good football. We started singing before the game [against Zambia] and you could see that the team was focused," Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Dolly said yesterday.
"The addition of Menzi and Gift was really good. In the first game we lacked in creativity going forward, and when they came in they gave us the creativity we needed."
The South Africans went a goal down before half-time and it looked as though it would be another horrible day for the team after a lacklustre first-half display.
"At half-time the coach [Owen da Gama] told us it was our last opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. We had to go out in the second half and fight," Dolly said. "Even when Zambia scored, we still believed we could win. We fought for an early goal and we got three."
Against Tunisia tomorrow (5pm), the under-23s will have to defend much better than they did in the last two matches. They have conceded five goals, but Dolly said they will improve. "We always try to concede less because if we do not concede, the chances of losing a game are not high. But we are confident we can improve," the former Ajax Cape Town star player said.
"We have some insight on how Tunisia play. They have a good team. They are physical, but if we stick to our game I believe we can win. Hopefully, we can take momentum and the same spirit into the next game."
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