Skipper Lyle Lakay believes that South Africa can go all the way and win the COSAFA Cup being held in Durban after a 2-1 comeback victory over Botswana at King Zwelithini Stadium this past Saturday.
South Africa went into the game against the Zebras in need of victory to keep their tournament hopes alive following their lacklustre 1-1 draw against Namibia in their Group A opener.
Morena Ramoreboli’s side found themselves a goal down in the 63rd minute thanks to a fine strike from Botswana’s Thatayaone Kgamanyane, but Tebogo Kopelang was sent off a minute later, and Stellenbosch forward Iqraam Rayners confidently stepped up to level from the penalty spot.
Moments later Shaune Mogaila made it 2-1 to secure a well-deserved win for the tournament hosts, which saw them rise to four points, with Botswana second on three points.
Speaking to Soccer Betting News after the game, Bafana Bafana forward and captain Lakay said: “It wasn’t pretty. We didn’t play the game we wanted to play. For me, the game was a little bit ugly, but the main thing is that we got the three points, and I’m happy with the fighting spirit of the boys. Obviously, we had to dig deep. We had to come from behind and get the three points which is good.”
🇿🇦 𝗕𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗔 𝗚𝗢 𝗧𝗢𝗣 ⬆️
— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) July 8, 2023
Bafana Bafana beat Botswana 2-1 at the COSAFA Cup to climb to the top of Group A after two games. Iqraam Rayners and Shaune Mogaila scored the goals for South Africa.#CosafaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/1Bvj3Mh2sx
When asked about what coach Ramoreboli said to the team during half-time, Lakay responded: “I don’t know if you watched the first game, but the first half was the same thing, we went down 1 nil.
“After the team talk, we came out guns blazing. So, the coach spoke to us and told us to remain calm and stick to the tactics. And in the first half, we lost a lot of the balls which was also affecting our game, and we rectified it in the second half, as you saw the performance.”
Speaking about the ambition of winning the tournament, the Bafana skipper couldn’t hide his excitement.
“We’re positive. The first game I explained our tactics and what went on, you know. And it was always good to get the first game under the bed. The second game we fought, and we fought hard and obviously, now the confidence is high building to the next game. We just need to continue with that and go all the way to winning the tournament,” he said.
South Africa will now play their last match of Group A at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu where they face Eswatini. The kick-off of the game will be on Tuesday, 18:00PM and entrance is free for the supporters.
Bafana Bafana captain Lyle Lakay believes that South Africa can go all the way to winning the COSAFA Cup that is underway in Durban after a 2-1 comeback victory over Botswana at King Zwelithini Stadium this past Saturday.
— Soccer Betting News (@Sbn_ZA) July 10, 2023
✍️: @Ayandakazulu #COSAFACUP2023
