National Teams
Kaylin Swart: South Africa goalkeeper talks up advantage of first-leg away in Abuja
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
As the final round of the 2024 Olympics qualifiers approaches, South African goalkeeper Kaylin Swart has expressed her belief that playing the first leg away against Nigeria provides an advantage for her team, Banyana Banyana.
Scheduled to land in Abuja on Easter Monday for the first leg clash set for Friday, April 5, 2024, Swart highlighted the benefits of starting the tie away from home.
With the return leg in Pretoria scheduled just four days after the first leg, Swart emphasized that playing away initially alleviates pressure for her team.
“It’s always best to play away first, so I think we have an advantage against Nigeria as well. Playing away first alleviates pressure,” she conveyed to 𝗦𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲.
Despite acknowledging the challenges posed by the atmosphere created by the home fans, Swart sees it as a motivating factor for her team. She believes they can use the energy from the hostile environment to their advantage and emerge victorious.
“It’s going to be tough, but we are up for the challenge and the hostility we’re going to face,” Swart added.
The upcoming clashes between South Africa and Nigeria promise to be intense, with both teams having a history of closely contested encounters. In recent years, Banyana Banyana has shown an upward trajectory, winning three of the last four head-to-head clashes since 2018.
Notably, the African champions have emerged victorious in the last two encounters in 2021 and 2022, setting the stage for what is expected to be a titanic clash between two fierce rivals next month.
