'Opening loss was the turning point': Da Gama
Updated | By ANA
Losing their opening match of the Caf under-23 Africa Cup of Nations to Senegal, was the turning point in the fortunes of the South African under-23 side according to coach Owen da Gama.
Despite the loss, Da Gama’s side were able to regroup and make it to the last four of the competition, before finally coming up against hosts Senegal again in the third place playoff on Saturday where the South Africans won on penalties to book their spot in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“I think the turning point for us was after we lost to Senegal in the opening match,” said Da Gama.
“We had gone unbeaten for some time before the tournament and we had not met a West African opposition. We came here and lost, and that was our eye-opener. It opens up attitude towards the game and you experience something different. After we lost to Senegal I sat with coach Molefi Ntseki (who was at the under-17 World Cup) and coach Thabo Senong (who was at the u20 African Youth Champs) and checked what went wrong and how can we rectify it. That was for me the turning point.”
The last time a South African men’s team participated in the Olympic Games was in 2000 in Sydney, and Da Gama said it was great to be back playing at the quadrennial showpiece.
“That is fantastic history and that we are the second South African team to qualify for the Olympics in 15 years.
“It is also history that we have for the first time qualified with Banyana Banyana for the Games at the same time. It is also history for the boys because it is the last opportunity for all of them bar one, Phakamani Mahlambi, to qualify for the Olympics. But we were not looking to making history but just to qualify and take our football to another level.”
Da Gama heaped praise on goalkeeper Jody February for a spectacular performance in the match, including the penalty shootout where the gloveman pulled off a number of saves.
“He was exceptional. During our meeting prior to the game I asked all the players to switch on for the match, I know he was the first to do so.
“It showed the character he has, the quality he possesses. At the game he proved to be something special. During the tournament everybody was talking about Keagan Dolly, Menzi Masuku, Gift Motupa but no one was talking about Jody. We kept faith in him especially after he conceded two against Algeria and the lesson there is that if you keep faith in something they tend to do better, and that’s what happened to Jody.” - ANA
Show's Stories
-
LISTEN: The best Rob and Roz interviews from 2024!
The Drive with Rob and Roz have been lucky to share the studio with some...
The Drive with Rob & Roz 1 day ago -
Dad went in to save the teddy but ended up sludge-faced
The silver lining in this scenario is that mud is said to be great for y...
The Workzone with Alex Jay 1 day ago