South Africa women's national team captain Refiloe Jane is confident that the Banyana Banyana have what it takes to beat Nigeria for a third consecutive time, Soccernet.ng reports.
The two nations meet inside the MKO Abuja Stadium today (Friday) in the first leg of the final qualifying round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It is expected to be a close encounter between South Africa, the 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations winner, and Nigeria, nine-time continental champions.
The Super Falcons were the most dominant team on the continent for almost four decades, but the tide appears to be shifting the way of South Africa.
The Banyana Banyana have won the two most recent matches between the fierce rivals and have the momentum heading into the match in Abuja.
Nigeria lost 4-2 at the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos in 2021 and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa in the group stage of the WAFCON.
Captain Jane insists that the Banyana Banyana retain huge respect for Nigeria for the Super Falcons' achievements over the years.
The Sassuolo midfielder, however, maintains that South Africa have the team to beat Nigeria again and become the first African nation to register three straight victories over the Super Falcons.
“In the last two encounters against Nigeria, we came out victorious, but I keep saying to my teammates that we still need to give Nigeria the respect that they deserve,” she said at the pre-match press conference monitored by Soccernet.ng
“They ruled Africa for such a long time and were the undisputed champions for a very long time. They still deserve that respect, and that's what we have for them.
“But also not taking away the capabilities and talent that we have in our team to go out there and still do it.
“It shows that we have made tremendous strides.
“Even beating them twice shows that there have been some positives that we have been showing as a nation. That's motivation to the team, and we will keep on working on such results.”
Nigeria last defeated South Africa in the final of the 2018 WAFCON, winning on penalties after the match ended in a goalless draw.
Interestingly, South Africa had earlier claimed a 1-0 win over the Nigerians at that tournament.
NB: Can South Africa beat the Super Falcons again on Nigerian soil? Leave your comments below.
