Bafana Bafana defender, Terrence Mashego, is optimistic about his team’s chances of reaching the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as they prepare to face Nigeria in the semi-finals.
Scheduled to take place at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake, on Wednesday, the upcoming match sees Hugo Broos’ side aiming to avenge their quarter-final defeat to the Super Eagles five years ago in Egypt.
Despite Nigeria’s formidable squad, Mashego believes that Bafana Bafana has what it takes to secure a different outcome this time.
“It’s going to be a difficult game, you know Nigeria has a good squad but also on our outside we have a good squad, so it’s going to be a very good game,” Mashego remarked, as quoted by idiskitimes.
Confident in their defensive capabilities, Mashego highlighted their impressive record of four consecutive games without conceding goals, indicating that they are well-prepared for any challenge Nigeria presents.
“We’re [confident] in our defence, we’ve gone for four games without conceding, [like Nigeria] we’re ready for any battle.
Taking a pragmatic approach, Mashego emphasized the importance of focusing on one game at a time to avoid unnecessary pressure, expressing hope that their efforts will lead them to the final.
“I’d say we don’t want to pressurise ourselves, so we just have to take it one game at a time and we might find ourselves in the final.”
