Banyana tackle Egypt,

I was hurt a number of times, but I soldiered on because my country comes first – Banyana striker

ANDISWE MGCOYI wasn’t prepared to let momentary blindness and a struggle for breath stop her from finishing her first big match in Banyana Banyana colours after a two-year absence.

The morning after Wednesday’s clash with hosts Cameroon at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWC), Mgcoyi looked like she had been in a boxing match rather than a football encounter. She had swollen eyes, wore a big patch on her right leg and was without her colourful braids.

“I told myself that I will die on the field for my country,” Mgcoyi, pictured, said. “I was hurt a number of times but I soldiered on because the country comes first.

“There were a lot of things that went through my mind when I was down (after being punched by goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom) but giving up wasn’t one of them. There was something that told me to go on.

“I don’t want to lie, I was in pain for most of that match. There was a time when I couldn’t see with my left eye. There was a moment when they kicked me in the stomach and I couldn’t breathe for a few minutes after that.

“They also kicked me so hard on my leg that it felt like I pulled a muscle. The doctor kept asking me if I was okay and I could continue, I said I was fine. I wanted to return to the field as soon as possible.

“That’s who I am. I fight for my team. I couldn’t abandon my teammates. I saw that they were struggling to match them physically, so I had to be on the field to help.”

“Gudluza”, as she is affectionately known, soldiered on for 90 minutes in a match where she showed what Banyana were missing in her absence – a tall, physically imposing striker who can hold the ball and bully defenders.

But that wasn’t enough, and Banyana still lost 1-0. Aside from losing with a goal scored after goalkeeper Andile Dlamini was fouled, they didn’t create enough chances to trouble the Indomitable Lionesses.

This, despite Mgcoyi well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of Ndom – they were teammates at Slovakian side FK Union Nove Zamky.

But Mgcoyi’s performance boosted her confidence, which is a good thing for Banyana. The more confident she is, the better she plays.

“I played for coach ‘Skheshe’ (former Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza) for a long time without scoring,” she said. “He never gave up on me. I think that’s what I needed from the previous coach (Vera Pauw) and I didn’t get it.

“I repaid the faith coach Skheshe showed in me in 2012. I scored four goals. I remember the hat-trick I scored in that tournament (AWC). I wasn’t supposed to be in the starting lineup in our match against Congo.

“I had a dream about scoring a lot of goals the night before that match. I went to the coach in the morning and asked him to be in the starting XI. I don’t know where I got that bravery to do that because it was something that I wouldn’t ordinarily do. He agreed and I scored three goals, after I had scored one against Senegal in the previous match.”

Banyana will need Mgcoyi to find that scoring touch against Egypt today in Limbe in their last Group A match (5pm kickoff ).

They need to win and hope that Cameroon don’t lose to Zimbabwe to book their place in the semi-finals.

“We must do everything in our power to score first,” Mgcoyi said.

“Even if we defend with three people, field an attack-minded side.

“We shouldn’t allow them to even breathe. It’s not like we have anything to defend.

“They will do everything in their power to kill the momentum because they only need a point to go through.

“They will be constantly on the floor to waste time. We shouldn’t allow that to be part of their arsenal because if we get early goals and we lead from the onset, they won’t have a choice but to play.”