Pretoria - Bafana Bafana striker Bernard Parker says winning their 2014 CHAN opening match against Mozambique has boosted their morale to proceed and qualify for the next round of the tournament.
The host team conceded a goal early in the first half following a deflection, but went on to win 3-1 against Mozambique in a thrilling match played at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening.
“Winning the first game of the tournament gives us a chance to proceed and qualify for the next round. We feel very confident from this victory, but it was a wake-up call for us because we started a bit slow and the positive result is a good motivation for the next game.
“We need to continue with this winning mentality. The victory has lifted some weight off our shoulders and we can face the next match in a more relaxed mood, but we are aware that this is just the beginning and a lot of work needs to be done, so we can go all the way,” said Parker.
Bafana Bafana will play Mali in their next match on Wednesday at Cape Town Stadium. Kick-off is at 5pm.
Skipper Itumeleng Khune said the team showed character to come back from a goal down to win the opening match of the CHAN tournament.
“It was really disappointing to have conceded a goal of that nature. The pitch was wet so when the ball took a wicked deflection, I slipped and it went in but the players showed leadership by telling me to keep my head high because the goal came early and unexpectedly.
“We all showed a lot of character to come back from that point to emerge victorious. Now, we need to build from there when we go into our next match, which is also crucial as a win should almost guarantee us passage to the next round,” said Khune.
Parker scored two goals and was voted Man of the Match for his impressive performance. He has now scored 21 goals in 65 appearances for South Africa. - SAnews.gov.za
