Bantwana falls short in the FIFA U17 Youth World Cup Qualifiers first leg against Nigeria

The Flamingos were dominant throughout with midfielder Shakirat Moshood registering the first goal in just 20 minutes into the game and striker Harmony Chidi securing a brace.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Khumalo believes they were outplayed in the first half but commended her players for picking up in the second half.

"For the second half performance, I'm very happy for my girls, though we didn't win the game because first half is where we lost the game, the concentration, the instruction but second half we came back strong," Khumalo said.

Bantwana captain Katlego Malebana scored the consolation goal, confidently converting a penalty shortly after the restart in the second half.

Khumalo adds that she is a special player with the ability to lead from the front.

"She is a leader, at her age, I'm always surprised everyday; she shows character in any situation because she's always there for the players and I think as a country, we have a leader that can be better in the future," she added.

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Bantwana will now focus on turning things around in the second leg in Ikenne next weekend.

Khumalo believes her players will perform much better away from home, as they have nothing to lose.

"Yes, we are still alive, another thing before we started the game, I said it's complicated when we play first round at home because we're under pressure.

Remember when you concede at home it's difficult for you to come back but away, we don't have anything to lose. We do our best to try and redeem ourselves and come back into the game."