Sunday World

Tag: Banyana Banyana in World Cup

  • Banyana World Cup dream still alive despite Argentina comeback

    Banyana World Cup dream still alive despite Argentina comeback

    Banyana Banyana’s World Cup dream is still alive despite bottling their two-goal lead to share spoils with Argentina during their must-win encounter early on Friday morning.

    Coach Desiree Ellis made two changes to the starting line-up that went up against Sweden, with keeper Kaylin Swart being preferred over regular starter Andile Dlamini once again.

    Both teams started the game with intent, as there was high intensity in the opening stages of the game, but with neither side creating any clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities.

    South Africa suffered a massive blow when captain Refiloe Jane was stretchered off the pitch after sustaining an ankle injury 20 minutes after the game had started, which saw Kholoso Biyana replace her in the middle of the park.

    The South Africans broke the deadlock through the intervention of the VAR, after Thembi Kgatlana beat the offside trap and found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and set up Linda Motlhalo who found the back of the net.

    The Argentines almost made an instant response, but badly positioned Swart was saved by the ball hitting the side of the woodwork.

    Moments before the break, Kgatlana thought she had doubled the lead, but Banyana’s jubilations were short-lived after the VAR ruled the goal out for offside and went into half-time in the driving seat.

    Banyana picked up from where they left off and Kgatlana missed a golden opportunity when she failed to connect with a well-worked pass from Jermaine Seoposenwe.

    Kgatlana did, however, make up for her previous mistake and finally got into the score sheet in the 65th minute when she fired a shot from close range, thanks to Seoposenwe’s effort, who worn the ball from the edge of the box and whipped in a cross for the speedy winger.

    Argentina did not want to go down without a fight, as they handed themselves a lifeline 73rd minute after a super strike from outside of the box, which left Swart with no chance.

    Five minutes later, the South Americans finally got an equalizer through a Romina Nunez’ header, who leaped the highest and caught Swart in the bottom corner.

    Banyana face Italy in their last Group G encounter and will need nothing less than three points to keep their world cup dream alive.

     

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  • Halala Banyana Banyana!

    Halala Banyana Banyana!

    By next week Sunday when you read this column, Banyana Banyana would have already played and finished their first match against Sweden at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.

    Due to 8-10 hour time difference between SA and Down Under, the matches will be played at ungodly hours and many a fan will be in dreamland when their favourite football national team takes on the field.

    In their hearts, the fans have replaced the fumbling Bafana Bafana with a bunch of winners and African champions who are known as Banyana.

    South Africans are putting their hopes on the girls who romped home with gold at the Wafcon in Morocco last year. Coached by Desiree Ellis, the girls are walking with a bounce in their steps. But all that swag and confidence was almost dented by the bungling Safa
    bosses who got entangled with the players in bonus negotiations a couple of days before the girls departed for New Zealand.

    Simply put, Safa did not have money to pay the girls. A bird inside the national association explained in confidence that had it not been for the Motsepe Foundation, the mother body would still be, cap in hand, begging for funding in the corporate world. It is no secret that the association is struggling financially and paying the girls from their pocket would have hurt their coffers.

    Safa have lost their credibility in the corporate world. With scandal after scandal, investors do not have confidence with the Safa House leadership.

    Broadcast rights money is not flowing in like the River Nile, technical sponsorship is at a bare minimum and the coffers are as dry as a Savannah from the local tavern.

    But having reached a common ground, thanks to the Motsepe family’s intervention, the girls can now focus on the task at hand. This is their second successive Fifa World Cup and they know well that the Wafcon and the World Cup are two worlds apart. The path to the next round won’t be as smooth as it was in
    Morocco. In fact, if Ellis’ charges do not up their game, they can end up being the whipping girls in the group that has Sweden, Italy and Argentina lying in wait.

    Upon arrival, the girls were met by wet and cold conditions at the Ole Soccer Academy in Kenepuru, Porirua in New Zealand – but this did not dampen their spirits, according to Centrecircle.online,

    “I think the rain came a bit early, which is good for us to be able to train in the rain as well as in the cold. Their winter is only starting now but it’s something we expected – you know back in South Africa it was really cold at times and we needed to get used to the cold,” Ellis was quoted.

    “But I think the conditions are slightly different and we are also having to manage recovery in between with the jet lag, so we can’t push as hard as we want to, but the players know they have to push and get the maximum out of them, even though they’re feeling a bit fatigued, and that is something that we’re managing really well,” added Ellis.

    This is the kind of bravado and war talk that the country is expecting – that it is not going to be easy but it is not impossible. Banyana have been on an upward spiral and we are confident that they can grab four points and sneak into the knockout round. They have some of the most skilful players who can dribble and use their trickery to victory.

    Halala Banyana Banyana!

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