Salgado confident as Banyana gear Up for WAFCON semifinal clash with Nigeria

By Wale Mustapha

South African midfielder Gabriela Salgado says Banyana Banyana are physically and mentally prepared for Tuesday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semi-final showdown against perennial rivals Nigeria.

The match, set to take place in Casablanca, marks the first semi-final meeting between the two sides since the 2016 edition in Cameroon, when Nigeria edged South Africa 1-0 courtesy of a second-half strike by Desire Oparanozie.

More recently, however, it was South Africa who claimed bragging rights with a 2-1 group-stage win over the Super Falcons during the 2022 WAFCON — also held in Morocco.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Monday, Salgado — who is making her WAFCON debut this year and was among the scorers in the penalty shootout win over Senegal — expressed confidence in her team’s readiness.

“We know we’re going into a tough semifinal game. It’s going to be a challenge, but we are physically and mentally prepared,” she said.

“We understand the responsibility we hold, and we’re looking forward to a good game — hopefully finishing it within 90 minutes.”

Reflecting on their gritty quarter-final win, Salgado said the shootout victory over Senegal strengthened the squad’s unity.

“That game brought us together. We saw the desire and hunger in each other’s eyes, and it made us realise how much we’ll need each other going forward.

“Everyone is on the same page. We know what we have to do, and we are excited for the game.”

The most recent encounter between the two sides came during the final qualifying round for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Nigeria triumphed 1-0 on aggregate, sealing their return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008.

Tuesday’s match will not only rekindle one of African women’s football’s fiercest rivalries but also determine who takes a step closer to lifting the continent’s most coveted women’s football trophy.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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