“We have managed to watch a few clips of them so far," said Salgado.
Gabriela Salgado during the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Final match between South Africa and Mali at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco on Monday. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Gabriela Salgado says Banyana Banyana must win their game against Senegal if they are to achieve their objectives of defending the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.
Banyana will meet the Lionesses of Teranga in a quarterfinal clash at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda on Saturday (kick off is at 9pm (SA time).
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Salgado says they have done a thorough assessment of their opponents, and if they stick to their game plan, they’ll emerge victorious.
“We have managed to watch a few clips of them so far. And we will be doing a lot of video sessions to analyse them so that we can plan properly for them going into the game,” said Salgado.
“So, we will have to go out there, stick to the plan, and do our best. This will be a crucial game for us because we owe it to ourselves. We work very hard and want to defend our title.
“Everyone is on the same page and has the same goal. So it will be very crucial for us to win and go further in the competition,” she added.
Salgado ‘honoured’ to be in Morocco
Salgado, who came off the bench in Banyana’s 4-0 victory over Mali on Monday, says she is honoured to have finally gotten an opportunity to represent her country at the WAFCON.
“It is a great honour for me to be here [in Morocco] and to represent my country. Because, as you know, I missed out on the last WAFCON due to injury.
“So, it is an honour for me to be here. But it has not been an easy tournament for us so far, because every team we have faced has come out guns blazing to beat us, since we are the defending champions. But we managed to deal with the pressure and stuck together as a team to make it to the quarterfinals,” she added.
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Meanwhile, coach Desiree Ellis says Banyana would have to be at their best if they are to overcome Senegal.
“We have a couple of days to have a good look at them, but they’ve shown in a very difficult group that they can fight it out with the best, and we have to be at our absolute best to get a result because again it’s not going to be easy,” said Ellis.
