Crunch time for Banyana Banyana -- Van Wyk
Skipper Van Wyk on Banyana’s Olympic opener South African women’s Olympic football captain, Janine van Wyk, says it’s crunch time for Banyana Banyana as they face Sweden in the opening match of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Wednesday.
The clash will take place at the Olympic Stadium starting at 1pm local time. Banyana Banyana and Sweden are not new to each other, the two nations having also met in the first match of the 2012 London Olympics where South Africa lost 4-1 with their only goal in the tournament oming from the now-retired Portia Modise’s super strike from way out.
At the time, Banyana Banyana were ranked 61st compared to Sweden’s fourth place ranking. South Africa were in Group F with Japan, Canada and Sweden. Banyana Banyana finished bottom of the group with just one point and Sweden finished top of the group but went on to lose 2-1 to France in the quarter-finals.
USA won the tournament, Brazil came second while Canada and France took third and fourth place respectively.
In Brazil, South Africa are in the same group with Sweden, China and Brazil and Sweden are now ranked sixth and South Africa 52nd.
The time you have all been waiting for has now arrived, it’s crunch time ?
Janine van Wyk: "Yes indeed, it is crunch time. The nerves are starting to kick in – the good ones though. We have been preparing for this moment for a very long time, about eight months to be precise, and it’s finally happening.
"The girls are feeling it and we have been talking among ourselves that this is the time we have been working so hard for. We have been meeting these girls (Sweden team) up and down the elevator, and thinking that those are the opponents we will be facing. We also were thinking that in 2012 in London it was our opening match against them and the result was not what we expected, which makes it a game that is unforgettable."
"When people ask me today who was the toughest opponent we have ever faced, it would be Sweden who beat us 4-1 in 2012 and we were not well prepared. This time around we are looking forward to the match and going for it as best as we can, with the team high on confidence in ourselves as a group. I think we are really capable of getting a good result if we just stick together and work on the aspects we have been working on for the past eight months."
"This game will give us a lot of confidence going forward if we get a good result – so we are really looking forward to as it means a lot to us, probably one of the most important matches of the tournament to get a good start for ourselves."
"The girls are feeling it and we have been talking among ourselves that this is the time we have been working so hard for. We have been meeting these girls (Sweden team) up and down the elevator, and thinking that those are the opponents we will be facing. We also were thinking that in 2012 in London it was our opening match against them and the result was not what we expected, which makes it a game that is unforgettable."
"When people ask me today who was the toughest opponent we have ever faced, it would be Sweden who beat us 4-1 in 2012 and we were not well prepared. This time around we are looking forward to the match and going for it as best as we can, with the team high on confidence in ourselves as a group. I think we are really capable of getting a good result if we just stick together and work on the aspects we have been working on for the past eight months."
"This game will give us a lot of confidence going forward if we get a good result – so we are really looking forward to as it means a lot to us, probably one of the most important matches of the tournament to get a good start for ourselves."