03 Jul 2022

Botswana  takes on Burundi in a Group C clash of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Morocco this evening (10pm).

Both countries are debutants at Africa’s women showpiece.

Botswana assistant coach, Alex Malete, said in an interview that The Mares would do all in their power to start the tournament well. “Although we are not under pressure, we feel it is a must win game for us, not that we undermine Burundi,” he added.

Malete said they had studied Burundi’s recent games at the CECAFA tournament and it appeared to be a beatable team.

The assistant coach said if Botswana were to score, they would have to open their opponents a bit, who would struggle with defending, hence opening spaces between defenders.

“However, we know that it is going to be a difficult game, but we are also confident looking at how we have been doing at training and how we executed our plan in the Togo friendly,” he said.  Malete further said the team was also confident that it would register positive result.

Meanwhile, Burundi’s head coach, Gustave Niyonkuru, was quoted by CAF saying playing in the regional CECAFA Senior Championship, where they finished second to Uganda, was a wake-up call.

He said the CECAFA tournament exposed them in some departments.

So they were working hard to improve and have a well balanced team. “We know some of the teams we are going to face have a lot of experience, but we shall approach every game like a final,” said Niyonkuru.  Ends