Banyana oozing with confidence ahead of second leg Olympic qualifier

Banyana Banyana, the South African women's national football team, is entering the second leg of their Olympic Games' qualifier against Madagascar with great confidence. The first match, held last Friday at the Toyota Stadium, ended in a convincing 4-nil victory for Banyana. This impressive performance has propelled the team into the third round of the qualifiers, led by coach Desiree Ellis.

Despite the success, Ellis insists that the team cannot afford to relax, stating, "We said we wanted to take the tie from them, I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but we have to play really badly for us not to go through in this round." The team's high spirits are evident, with defender Antonia Maponya noting, "This is one of the most important games, however, we are not under pressure because we did well in our first game, so it’s just a matter of having to practice how we want to do things and preparing for the tournament we will be playing in November."

Banyana had to battle through a home-and-away series to secure a spot in the World Cup playoffs in November, and they are already focusing on their performance in those matches. With only two African teams making the cut for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the team must perform well in this upcoming match.