Super Falcons coach, Thomas Dennerby has confessed that Cameroon gave his side a huge scare in Tuesday’s semi-final of the 2018 African Women Cup of Nations, but said he is happy that his defenders all rose to the occasion in gallant style.
While also acknowledging that his tactical structure of compact play equally made a lot of difference on the night at Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana, footballlive.ng can report that Dennerby is now thinking of how to also get the better of South Africa in Saturday’s final.
He admitted that the South Afircans caught his side unawares in their first group match, which Banyana Banyana won 1-0 in Cape Coast, such that the Falcons will now have to redouble their efforts to exert revenge against The Rainbow Nation in the rematch.
The Swedish tactician was on his feet for most of the semi-final, which went into penalty shoot out before the holders inched past their bitter rivals into the final and booked a place at the World Cup in France.
Before then, the Falcons will take on Banyana Banyana in the AWCON 2018 final on Saturday, starting from 5pm, and Dennerby says his lasses must play better in order to retain the continental title.
Dennerby stated: “Sincerely, I was not happy with our performance in the first 20 minutes of the match.
“We lost the ball too many times; we were too anxious and the defenders and midfielders couldn’t contribute to the attack.
“However, the positive from this tournament is our defence is very good. We have a compact team and that is why we made it today.
“When we arrived in Ghana, we made it clear our first target was the World Cup ticket and, after that, retaining the trophy.
“Now, we have achieved our first target. On Saturday, we have the opportunity of achieving our second target.
“We will go in there and give it our best shot and take the trophy back to Nigeria. Going to the World Cup, we need to improve the way we attack.
“We need to create chances and make the best use of the opportunities that come our way.”
