Bayana Bayana of South Africa midfielder Nomvula Kgoale said they are still licking their wound from failing to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The current African champion missed out of the ancient games after losing to the Super Falcons of Nigeria 1-0 on aggregate.
The hardworking player expressed her disappointment about the outcome of the game.
“It was so disappointing, I’m going to be honest. But one thing again, I don’t know if people were able to watch the away game against Nigeria – maybe they could catch the highlights, but I felt, as a team and a nation, it was more like a lack of motivation here or there.
“Sometimes as players, you need a little bit of a push behind in order to get things done, and unfortunately we only woke up after the 1-0 defeat away.
“So that’s why you saw, when we came back home, it was 0-0 because everybody was more awake, more determined, realising that, ‘Oh, ladies, this is the Olympics!’
“But I would say it’s really disappointing, but it’s not something that I can look down upon myself or my teammates going forward because I know how excellent the girls are, and how determined they are – I know how, when we want something, we go out and get it.
“It was jut a slip-up, and I truly believe that going forward, it was more like a wake-up call – for me, in my opinion”, she told SABC.
