Swedes are too hot for Banyana

Teenager Loreta Kullashi came off the bench to score twice as Sweden weathered an early South African storm before coasting to a 3-0 victory in an international friendly at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday.

A crowd of about 12‚000 turned out to watch the entertaining fixture that Banyana Banyana used to kick-start their campaign to build towards the 2018 African Women’s Championship in Ghana in November.

The Sweden side is packed with stars who have played at the highest level in Europe and the US‚ coming into the match ranked 10th in the world compared to Banyana’s 54th place.

The home side matched them for much of the game‚ but poor control and decisionmaking proved the difference.

Banyana were closing the Swedes down well in the early stages and after Thembi Kgatlana had won possession‚ a sweeping move saw a shooting chance from 10m for Sduduzo Dlamini that went just wide.

Sweden lead on 10 minutes when former Paris St Germain and Manchester City midfielder Kosovare Asllani delivered a free-kick into the box and Bambanani Mbane headed the ball into her own net. Banyana had an excellent chance to equalise when Chantelle Esau provided a perfect defencesplitting ball for Kgatlana to chase‚ but with just Sweden keeper Hilda Carlen to beat‚ she clipped the ball wide.

It was a similar story on the half-hour mark, when Esau again fed Kgatlana with a ball over the top and her pace saw her escape the Swedish defence‚ but this time she blasted over the top from close range.

Banyana trailed by a goal at half time‚ but within a minute of the restart, were further behind as Sweden substitute Kullashi had the simplest of side-foot finishes as the home defence were cut apart.

Impressive Swedish playmaker Sofia Jakobsson‚ from Montpellier, then thundered a shot from 30m against the crossbar with Banyana goalkeeper Kaylin Swart beaten.

A poor giveaway of the ball in the 69th minute allowed the 18-year-old Kullashi to advance and shoot past a diving Swart from the edge of the box.

In an effort to salvage something, Banyana coach Desiree Ellis pulled off winger Leandra Smeda and sent on Kholosa Biyana for her international debut in the 70th minute, but the Swedes closed out the game.

Banyana have drawn Slovakia‚ Hungary and Trinidad & Tobago in their Cyprus Cup pool in March.