Nonhlanhla Mthandi: No room for error going into the knockout stage

South Africa will face hosts Morocco in the last eight after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in their final Group B match.

Mthandi says the team is grateful to have progressed from a challenging group and believes the tournament truly begins now for the former champions.

“We are feeling very grateful. It was not easy to get out of the group stages. But I guess the tournament has just started for us. We will treat every match like a final. It is not how you start but how you finish,” said Mthandi.

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Banyana finished second in Group B with four points from three matches to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Mthandi believes the team’s slow start to the tournament has served as an important wake-up call ahead of the clash against Morocco in Rabat.

“Yes, we started slowly, and beginning the tournament with a defeat gives you a wake-up call. Now we know that anything is possible. This tournament is very competitive, and we understand the task ahead,” added Mthandi.

Mthandi expects a stern test against the hosts, describing the encounter as “a final before the final.”

“Morocco is a very good team. It is going to be a tough match, but we fight as a unit. These are the kind of matches we live for because they test the team’s character and capacity. We have worked so hard to get here, and we will continue to fight as we treat every game like a final,” she expressed.