President of the South African Football Association, SAFA, Danny Jordaan, has praised Bantwana players for their effort despite their defeat to Nigeria.
Ntombifuthi Khumalo’s side lost 2-0 to the Flamingos in Ikenne on Sunday.
Harmony Chidi and Aminat Animashaun were on target for Nigeria in the game.
Nigeria won the second-round qualifying tie 5-1 on aggregate.
“We feel for the players and all the members of the team after this disappointing result. But the gap between South Africa and Nigeria is closing,” Jordaan told safa.net.
“Congratulations to Nigeria for progressing to the next stage. But remember, 2031 is just six years from today. We are building a team for 2031, and many of our players will be 20/21 years old then. Today’s experience will be a huge benefit in the bigger scheme of things.”
