Bafana Bafana striker Lebo Mothiba has urged his side to maintain their positive mentality heading into their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash with Nigeria.
South Africa made their way into the last eight after claiming a 1-0 victory over hosts Egypt in the round of 16 last Saturday courtesy of an 85th-minute goal from Thembinkosi Lorch.
They will now turn their focus on their clash with the Super Eagles at the Cairo International Stadium when both teams will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Speaking on their victory over Egypt, Mothiba insisted that the secret to their success was that they played to the coach’s instructions while giving 100% on the pitch.
‘In the match against Egypt, everyone gave 100 % effort and focus and now we need to keep that going. The win over Egypt galvanised the spirits and we are all looking forward to the next game against Nigeria. We need that positive mentality. The coach has insisted that we should maintain that positive attitude,’ Mothiba told the media.
‘The coach knows what we need to do against Nigeria. The boss is in charge of that, we will follow his instructions. For the match against Egypt, the coach really pushed us and we are ready for Nigeria and we want to give everything.’
Mothiba went on to explain how he manufactured play leading up to the winning goal for Thembinkosi Lorch against Egypt in the round of 16.
‘In the match against Egypt, we played South African football, good when the ball is on the feet but mine is to hold on to the ball for the strikers to arrive in the box. Mine is one touch and play the ball into space,’ he added.
‘The defender thought I would play in front of him for the goal but I outwitted him. I won’t change my style of play, simple and straightforward.’
The Strasbourg striker insisted that they do not feel any pressure heading into the quarter-final clash as the team are focusing on winning and not on individual performances.
‘Scoring is a bonus, goals will come. It is important for the team to win, not to focus on individual awards,’ Mothiba concluded.
The match at the Cairo International Stadium kicks off at 9pm.