South Africa’s Under-23 midfielder Thapelo Maseko is very proud after scoring his first international goal and hopes to find the back of the net more regularly as he looks to establish himself in the team.
Maseko is currently in Congo-Brazzaville where the team is preparing to face Congo in the second leg of the U23 CAF Olympic qualifiers
He scored the first goal against the Congolese at Dobsonville Stadium last week and said it was a special goal for him.
“It was my first international goal, but it was a bigger goal for the team to bring us level going into the second leg of the tie. It would have been harder going to Congo while trailing by a goal, so I am happy I could contribute by helping the team.”
He added that the mood among players is positive, and they are confident that they will win Monday’s match and qualify for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in June.
“There is obviously a major difference between club level and national team level, and it teaches us to adjust as footballers,” said Maseko.
“The intensity and the overall level is different and you have to adjust to playing with a player that you are not used to playing with in order to get the needed results.”
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