14 May 2015 – Bafana Bafana head coach Ephraim Mashaba says they have learnt a lot from the international friendly match against Lesotho played on Thursday, 14 May at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru.
The clash ended goalless.
The two nations face each other again on Saturday, 16 May at the same venue.
Kickoff is at 15h00.
The clash ended goalless.
The two nations face each other again on Saturday, 16 May at the same venue.
Kickoff is at 15h00.
Matlhomola Morake: What are you impressions about the match yesterday?
Ephraim Mashaba: It was a match worth playing. It gave us a clue of what players we have in the team. But as you know playing against Lesotho is always never a friendly match, they will always come out fighting and which is what they did. They were fortunate to have come out with a draw, more so because we scored a goal, which was disallowed. It was a good game all in all, and we managed to see at least three quarters of the team we brought here. We will have a clearer picture in the second match that will take place on Saturday.
MM: You had two days of training prior to this match. Was it enough considering that you have new players in the squad?
EM: Unfortunately it was not enough especially if you take into consideration that the opponents are also going to play in the COSAFA CUP tournament and have been in camp for quite a while. We only started on Monday where we had some players missing from training, which made life a bit difficult. Then we had to travel to Lesotho and could not train in the evening upon arrival as planned. So in short, it was not ideal preparation for this match. But now that we have played the game we can expect different results in our next encounter.
MM: From that match, what did you learn about your team?
EM: Again I say it was a match worth playing. It gave us some insight into the team. The match showed us the level of fitness of the boys, as we saw that some of them were struggling a bit now we know what to do before the first match of COSAFA. It also gave us a chance to see the commitment of the players even though we can’t read much into that as they were playing together for the first time as a group, but things are going according to plan and we should be fine when the tournament starts.
MM: Any changes in tomorrow’s match?
EM: Absolutely, we will make some changes and give other players a chance to see what they are capable of so we don’t wait until the tournament to find out how they can help the team. So the changes will come and I am confident they will be accompanied by an even better performance because some of these players haven’t been in the national team and haven’t played outside the country, so they were still in their shells. But it is a good experience for them.
Ephraim Mashaba: It was a match worth playing. It gave us a clue of what players we have in the team. But as you know playing against Lesotho is always never a friendly match, they will always come out fighting and which is what they did. They were fortunate to have come out with a draw, more so because we scored a goal, which was disallowed. It was a good game all in all, and we managed to see at least three quarters of the team we brought here. We will have a clearer picture in the second match that will take place on Saturday.
MM: You had two days of training prior to this match. Was it enough considering that you have new players in the squad?
EM: Unfortunately it was not enough especially if you take into consideration that the opponents are also going to play in the COSAFA CUP tournament and have been in camp for quite a while. We only started on Monday where we had some players missing from training, which made life a bit difficult. Then we had to travel to Lesotho and could not train in the evening upon arrival as planned. So in short, it was not ideal preparation for this match. But now that we have played the game we can expect different results in our next encounter.
MM: From that match, what did you learn about your team?
EM: Again I say it was a match worth playing. It gave us some insight into the team. The match showed us the level of fitness of the boys, as we saw that some of them were struggling a bit now we know what to do before the first match of COSAFA. It also gave us a chance to see the commitment of the players even though we can’t read much into that as they were playing together for the first time as a group, but things are going according to plan and we should be fine when the tournament starts.
MM: Any changes in tomorrow’s match?
EM: Absolutely, we will make some changes and give other players a chance to see what they are capable of so we don’t wait until the tournament to find out how they can help the team. So the changes will come and I am confident they will be accompanied by an even better performance because some of these players haven’t been in the national team and haven’t played outside the country, so they were still in their shells. But it is a good experience for them.
By: Editor
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