CAFWOQ: “No motivation needed” – Nomvula Kgoale declares ahead of Nigeria clash

Nomvula Kgoale has declared that Banyana Banyana needs no motivation to defeat Nigeria when they face off on Friday.

The African champions will face Nigeria on Friday, 5 April 2024 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, a match Kgoale describes as massive.

The 28-year-old is one of the three remaining survivors from the 2010 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup that was held in Trinidad and Tobago under the watchful eye of coach Solly Luvhengo.

“To be honest I think I’m not going to need any motivation, and neither will my teammates because it’s what I really want, it’s what we want,” said a beaming Kgoale.

“Indeed, this is massive, and I think this one is going to boil down to whoever is good on the day because we know both teams are really good – we have outstanding players and so do they.

“In recent times when we met them, we came out with positive results, so we are looking to kind of go with the momentum and see where that takes us, but the ultimate goal is to qualify for the Olympics.

“We just want to get on to the field to get the job done and go to Paris. We are playing Nigeria for a ticket to the Olympics, what more motivation does one need – this is one of the biggest fixtures in women’s football on the African continent. Make no mistake, it’s not going to be easy.

“Playing away is going to be difficult, Nigeria is extremely hot first of all, but we have to make sure that when we run onto the field we come back with a positive result, that’s what we have to do.

“Fitness-wise, I have no doubt that they are more than ready because we played so many games, I really do feel like in terms of fitness we’ve got really nothing to worry about, more than anything it’s going to be a tactical battle.

“All we need to do is just manage our bodies to make sure that when the day comes where we have to play Nigeria, we are more than ready.”

The return leg will be played on Tuesday, 9 April 2024 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, where the overall winner will secure a ticket to the global event as one of two African representatives.