In Rabat
The time has finally arrived for Banyana Banyana to win the Africa Women's Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
This assertion was made by ace Linda Motlhalo after their 1-0 victory over Zambia in the tournament's quarterfinals at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Monday night. Motlhalo scored the decisive goal, converting from the spot to send SA to the final where they'll meet hosts Morocco, who beat the defending champions Nigeria in the second semifinal later on the day. The decider is at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat (10pm SA time).
"We have had so many disappointments [this is Banyan sixth final and they failed in all their previous five attempts in 1995, 2000, 2008 and 2018]. So we're going all out to finally win this tournament. The time has arrived,'' a relaxed Motlhalo told Sowetan as she walked out to the team's bus from the change rooms on Monday.
The 24-year-old maestro, who plies her trade in Sweden for Djurgardens, also opened up about how she's managed to redeem herself to be the team's first-choice penalty taker after missing a crucial spot-kick in the 2018 final Banyana lost to Nigeria on penalties.
Motlhalo's two goals at this Wafcon are penalties (she scored one in the 3-1 win over Burundi in their second pool stages fixture and again against Zambia in the semifinals).
"Since I missed that penalty in the final in Ghana in 2018, I never stopped practising penalties. I think I have now mastered my technique. As they say practice makes it perfect,'' noted Motlhalo.
Banyana have been solid at the back, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in their last three outings but their bluntness upfront has always made things difficult for them. Motlhalo has vowed they'll be clinical in the final.
"We know we've been missing chances and that has made our lives a bit difficult in recent games. Our focus before the final will be on fine-tuning our shooting skills. We'll be better in terms of converting the chances in the final.''
Linda Maserame Motlhalo was born at Brandvlei in Northern Cape. The attack-minded winger currently plays for Djurgardens IF in Sweden, after fine-tuning her skills during her days with the TuksSport High School which is linked to South African High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
• Ndebele is in Morocco as Banyana sponsor Sasol's guest.
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Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
In Rabat
The time has finally arrived for Banyana Banyana to win the Africa Women's Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
This assertion was made by ace Linda Motlhalo after their 1-0 victory over Zambia in the tournament's quarterfinals at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Monday night. Motlhalo scored the decisive goal, converting from the spot to send SA to the final where they'll meet hosts Morocco, who beat the defending champions Nigeria in the second semifinal later on the day. The decider is at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat (10pm SA time).
"We have had so many disappointments [this is Banyan sixth final and they failed in all their previous five attempts in 1995, 2000, 2008 and 2018]. So we're going all out to finally win this tournament. The time has arrived,'' a relaxed Motlhalo told Sowetan as she walked out to the team's bus from the change rooms on Monday.
The 24-year-old maestro, who plies her trade in Sweden for Djurgardens, also opened up about how she's managed to redeem herself to be the team's first-choice penalty taker after missing a crucial spot-kick in the 2018 final Banyana lost to Nigeria on penalties.
Motlhalo's two goals at this Wafcon are penalties (she scored one in the 3-1 win over Burundi in their second pool stages fixture and again against Zambia in the semifinals).
"Since I missed that penalty in the final in Ghana in 2018, I never stopped practising penalties. I think I have now mastered my technique. As they say practice makes it perfect,'' noted Motlhalo.
Banyana have been solid at the back, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in their last three outings but their bluntness upfront has always made things difficult for them. Motlhalo has vowed they'll be clinical in the final.
"We know we've been missing chances and that has made our lives a bit difficult in recent games. Our focus before the final will be on fine-tuning our shooting skills. We'll be better in terms of converting the chances in the final.''
Linda Maserame Motlhalo was born at Brandvlei in Northern Cape. The attack-minded winger currently plays for Djurgardens IF in Sweden, after fine-tuning her skills during her days with the TuksSport High School which is linked to South African High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
• Ndebele is in Morocco as Banyana sponsor Sasol's guest.
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