Desiree Ellis, the coach of Banyana Banyana, has praised goalkeeper Andile Dlamini for her outstanding saves during the team’s 2-0 victory over Ghana in Group C of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The match was played on Monday night at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco.
Dlamini repeatedly stopped the newly assembled Ghanaian team’s attempts to score goals, guaranteeing that Banyana won without conceding.
Banyana’s goals came from Linda Motlhalo and Jermaine Seoposenwe.
Motlhalo scored from the penalty spot in the 28th minute, following a reckless tackle on Noxolo Cesani.
The referee first consulted the video assistant referee before making the decision.
A formidable opponent
In the 33rd minute, Seoposenwe increased Banyana’s lead to 2-0 after outpacing three defenders and skilfully slotting the ball home, leaving the confused Ghanaian goalkeeper, Cynthia Koldan Findip, defenceless.
This gave Banyana a well-deserved advantage in their title defence.
“Overall, Andile Dlamini has performed admirably in safeguarding the team from potential defeat, having made several crucial saves,” Ellis said.
“We always emphasise that if we can maintain a clean sheet, we are likely to win the match, and our entire team executed a commendable defensive effort despite the challenging conditions.
“Ghana proved to be a formidable opponent, I must admit, and the cooling water break significantly disrupted their momentum.”
Banyana sit on top of Group C
Banyana demonstrated their unwavering commitment and determination to defend the title they won in 2022 in the same country, despite facing earlier payment delays from previous games and Sasol’s decision to stop supporting the team financially.
Banyana’s victory over Ghana put them atop Group C with three points and a goal differential of plus two.
Mali is in second place with an equal number of points after defeating Tanzania 1-0 in another Group C match.
Banyana’s upcoming matches are against Tanzania on Friday and Mali on July 14.
