South African playmaker, Themba Zwane collected his second TotalEnergies Man of the Match award on Wednesday evening after another stellar performance in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
Zwane was a livewire for the South African attack, despite their 0-0 draw which was enough to see them through to the next round of the competition at the expense of Tunisia who finish bottom of the group and head out.
Speaking after the match, Zwane said despite the game being physical, they had to remain calm in order to avoid unnecessary fouls and cautions.
“We knew as a team that it was going to be difficult because they use a lot of physique and at the same time, we wanted to avoid necessary cautions and fouls. It was a difficult match but credit to my teammates for fighting on and ensuring that we keep calm and avoid costly mistakes”, said an elated Zwane.
Commenting on the team’s performance, Zwane said it was important for the team to keep going even though it was physically taxing.
“This one was difficult. We coordinated well, even though they were closing the spaces for us. We tried to be calm and penetrated to create more chances. They were tired and so were we, so it was important to keep calm and keep the ball. We have a good team to go forward for the games and fight. We are going to push ourselves” concluded Zwane.
As Group E second place finishers, South Africa will face the winner of Group F
