Captain Janine’s tweet says it all
South Africa (1) 1 Czech Republic (0) 2
BANYANA BANYANA will probably blame it all on the downpour that turned the pitch of the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca, Cyprus for this defeat.
Yet such are the demands of international football that a team has to be able to play under all conditions.
Looking good for their first win in the Cyprus Women’s Cup in their final group match after Mamello Makhabane’s strike early in the match, Desiree Ellis’ team crumbled under the Czech’s incessant pressure and conceded two goals in the final ten minutes.
Captain Janine van Wyk tweeted immediately after the game: “Very disappointed with the result today. 1st half was brilliant, we were untouchable. We started the 2nd half well up until it poured down with rain which flooded the pitch. Our momentum was lost after slipping & sliding. The Czechs took control of the match & won it.”
It is a defeat that will no doubt leave the South Africans deflated and probably doubting themselves ahead of their maiden appearance at the Fifa World Cup in France later in the year.
The loss means Banyana only got a single point from the round robin phase having drawn with Finland 2-2 and then suffering a 4-1 drubbing by North Korea.
Yesterday was all about redemption and for a good part of the match it appeared as though Van Wyk and her troops would achieve just that.
Banyana played purposeful, attacking football and they were asking questions of the opposition’s defence early on.
It was on the quarter-hour mark when Linda Motlhalo laid on a pass to Makhabane who had acres of space to use the possession fruitfully. Instead she blasted the ball wide of the Czech goal.
But she made amends soon thereafter as she slotted home the opening goal on 17 minutes, again having been set up by Motlhalo.
Typically, it was the Czechs who saw more of the ball after going behind but Banyana held their own against very physical opponents.
The pendulum appeared to swing Banyana’s way on 40 minutes when a Czech player’s bad tackle on Refiloe Jane was punished with a sending off.
A goal up and one player to the good, it was time for Banyana to push home the advantage and get that win which would see them finish in the top two in the group.
The Czechs piled on the pressure after the break as they looked to restore parity and almost achieved that objective on 57 minutes but their attempt rattled the crossbar, with the rebound being sent wide.
There was a special moment for Banyana’s Thembi Kgatlana as she made her way on to the pitch to earn her 50th cap as a replacement for Amanda Mthandi.
This though did very little to inspire the South Africans to push for that second goal and as it was the Czechs nearly equalised on the hour mark when goalkeeper Andile Dlamini failed to control a backpass.
Almost thereafter the heavens opened up, much to the delight of the Europeans who took full control of the game as Banyana struggled in the wet conditions.
The match deteriorated into a slipslide affair on the pitch but the Czechs still fashioned some chances and the ball hit the crossbar following a good header with Dlamini well beaten on 75 minutes.
It was not a case of holding on for dear life for Banyana but even with their numerical advantage they just could not handle the onslaught.
The Czechs got their equaliser on 81 minutes and stole the winner a minute from time to break Banyana hearts.