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The tattoo of Olympic rings that Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk sports on her right arm drives her desire to secure a second consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games.
“The tattoo is a constant reminder that I have played in the Games before [in London in 2012].
“I want to reach that goal again by playing in my second Olympics, this time as captain of the team,” she said.
However, to keep this Olympics dream alive, Van Wyk and her team-mates must overcome Kenya in their second-leg qualifier at the Machakos Stadium, previously known as the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, this afternoon (2.30pm South African time).
Banyana Banyana take a slender advantage to the east African nation, courtesy of a 1-0 win over the Harambee Starlets in the first leg, which took place in Dobsonville, Soweto, a fortnight ago.
“In a way, it is good pressure to take a 1-0 lead there because we know that we have to go out and fight.
“It is unlike when we are leading 2-0 or 3-0 because that could result in complacency,” Van Wyk said.
The 28-year-old defender said Banyana had learnt, from the first-leg meeting, that Kenya were strong opponents.
“It is something that we did not expect from them at all.
“We have to work as a team going into the second leg to get a good result,” she said.
Van Wyk is keenly aware of the Kenyans’ strengths.
“They have good team organisation and two fast strikers. Their weakness could be their goalkeeper, who I think is not good enough in the air, judging by how our goal went over her head.
“We’ll have to make use of such chances,” she said.
If Banyana Banyana progress to the fourth and final round, the national team will meet either Nigeria or Equatorial Guinea in a two-leg fixture for the coveted Rio Olympics’ ticket.
The two west African sides, which meet today in their return leg in Bata, Kenya, are tied at 1-1 from the first leg.
Ghana will also host Cameroon today and the winner of this match will meet Ivory Coast in the final round.
The top two teams in the fourth round will qualify for the Olympics
