WAFCON: Burkina Faso aim to 'write footballing history' in South Africa game
Burkina Faso go into Tuesday night's game in Group B against South Africa knowing that a point will send them into the last eight, should pool pacesetters Cote d'Ivoire beat or draw with third-placed Tanzania.
South Africa need to win against Burkina Faso and hope that the Ivorians overcome Tanzania.
"I think we have an excellent generation of players," said Sawadogo on the eve of the clash at the Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca.
"The players are here to write the history of football in Burkina Faso. That's the message they've given us. I and the rest of the coaching staff will continue pushing them so they can turn those ambitions into reality on the pitch."
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Cote d'Ivoire beat Burkina Faso 4-1 in the opening game on 27 July at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca. But four days later at the same venue, Burkina Faso bounced back to beat Tanzania 2-1, inn their first ever Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) victory.
"The players know the Burkinabé people are expecting a lot from them, and they promised to make us dream," added Sawadogo.
"We've started writing our story. Now we have to finish it. But we also have to be extremely careful because South Africa have probably underperformed in their two games. They are still a team that deserves great respect."
'We can rise to the occasion'
Elimination after the group stages would constitute a spectacular failure for South Africa. Squads from the country have reached the semi-finals at the last nine competitions, stretching back to 2004.
After taking over as head coach in 2016, Desiree Ellis steered the side to their first Cup of Nations title in Morocco in 2022. They came fourth in 2024.
"We have shown that we're able to rise to the occasion," said Ellis. "And it will be all about getting a result. The rest is out of our hands. If you look at the whole group, everybody has to get a result in order to advance."
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On Monday night, hosts Morocco advanced to the last eight as winners of Group A, after a 0-0 draw with Senegal in Rabat.
Algeria also advanced from Group A to the knockout stages following their 2-0 victory over Kenya at the Stade Olympique in Rabat.
In the quarter-finals, the Algerians will play the winners of Group B at the Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca on 8 August, while Morocco will take on the Group B runners-up on the same day at the Stade Moulay El Hassan in Rabat.
The four teams who reach the semi-finals also claim a berth at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, while the four losing teams will feature in a play-off for two spots at an inter-continental qualifier.
The WAFCON final will take place on 16 August.
Additional reporting by Marco Martins.