Under-20 to guard against complacency
Chakalisa Dube | Saturday October 9, 2021 06:00
The Junior Mares go into the clash at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, all but assured of progress to the next round, after a resounding 4-1 victory in Luanda last week. “We are very focussed on the match. We have had very good preparations since we came back from Luanda. Although we carry a healthy lead, we do not anticipate an easy match against Angola. They are a strong side. They have good players who have the potential to cause problems for us,” Gaebolae said.
She added that all the 20 players in the squad will be available for selection for the Angola clash. “What is important for tomorrow’s match is to guard against complacency. We have been talking to the players to be focused and guard against being overconfident. If they become too confident, complacency can creep in and eventually cost us,” Gaebolae told Mmegi Sport. The Junior Mares travelled to Francistown on Wednesday and had their first training session yesterday.
The coach said travelling to Francistown on Wednesday was meant to allow the team to acclimatise to the conditions in the city. Traditionally, the junior national team plays its matches in Gaborone. “Our focus on training ahead of the Angola clash will be on perfecting our finishing. We could have won the first-round tie with a huge margin had it not been for our poor finishing. We missed simple chances,” she said. The side will pin its hopes on captain Obonetse Rathari, who was among the goal scorers on Saturday. Rathari has been instrumental since the qualifiers started and has chipped in with vital goals. Double Action’s Keitumetse Dithebe is also among the players to look out for on Saturday. The forward is among players who hardly put their foot wrong. She also capped her fine performance with a goal against Angola. The winner between Botswana and Angola will likely meet Ethiopia who carries a commanding 4-0 lead over Rwanda.
A brace from Rediet Matos and goals from Aregash Tadesse as well as Turist Lema meant that the Ethiopians take home a healthy lead. The return leg between Ethiopia and Rwanda has also been scheduled for tomorrow in Bahir Dar. Two teams from Africa will earn a berth in the 2022 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which Costa Rica hosts. The event was due to be held last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.