South Africa midfielder, Mandla Masango, says beating Algeria in their first game of the 2015 African Cup of Nations will give his team a welcome boost in a tough group that involves Ghana.
Masango has been a regular in Shakes Mashabaââ¬â¢s Bafana squads over the course of their AFCON qualifying campaign, helping them as they managed to make it to the finals without losing a single game.
Now, as the team prepares to leave for Gabon ahead of their final warm up games, the 25-year-old says that everyone in the team is confident of having a successful tournament.
Speaking to the media, Masango said, ââ¬ÅThe mood is fantastic and everyone is looking forward to the tournament. In any major tournament itââ¬â¢s important to win your first game, it gives you the confidence and spirit to qualify for the next round or even go further.
ââ¬ÅEveryone knows what is expected of them. Playing at the junior tournaments has prepared me to do well in the senior team, and we know a lot of the other players playing for their national teams because weââ¬â¢ve played them before.
ââ¬ÅI think we stand a good chance of qualifying for the next round. Our players are hungry to do well for the country and change the mentality of football in South Africa. Every game is a cup final in a tournament because you only get one chance, we need to make sure that we get a positive result in our first match and then take it from there.ââ¬