South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira says he is on a high as he enters the week when his team kicks off the World Cup (South Africa 4/11 to exit at the group stage).
A 1-0 win for Bafana Bafana over Denmark was the perfect tonic for the side as they approach the first Group A fixture against Mexico at Soccer City.
Parreira said: “Everybody has to respect us. We are ready to fight. We respect everybody, but they must also respect us. We will take every game as a final. We will fight in every game.”
He added: “I think the team showed that we are ready for the competition – we are ready for the World Cup. The team is ready and they proved it against Denmark.
“With our preparations, it shows that the path we took was the right one. What will happen at the World Cup we don’t know but the team is ready for the World Cup.”
Parreira was also buoyed by the overwhelming support Bafana received from the packed Lucas Moripe stadium in Atteridgeville.
He said: “I read in one newspaper and they said ’spectators fall in love again with Bafana’, this is good. We have the support… they have been supporting us in the games we have been playing, the one against Thailand and Colombia they were there in big numbers blowing the vuvuzelas. They give the team confidence,” he said.
The win against Denmark was the perfect way to end the warm-up sequence for the World Cup, said Parreira.
“A win is a win, but this one was a special one for us, because it was a win against a very, very good team.
“Denmark is a very strong team and five of their players have around 80 caps for their national team and that’s why I was very happy to see the boys win.
“They won against very tough opponents and I’m happy about that,” said the 67-year-old.
The coach also said the visit to former president Nelson Mandela on Thursday worked and brought with it the ‘Madiba Magic’ to the team.
“He didn’t make any speech, but his presence is so inspiring for the team and the country. It was so emotional to see him there and everyone was so happy. I’m sure it helps the team a lot when we play,” said Parreira.
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