Banyana move a step closer to Awcon finals
South Africa’s dependable strikers Hildah Magaia and Thembi Kgatlana were the stars of Banyana Banyana’s first leg 2-0 smash-and-grab show over Algeria, paving the way for qualification for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) finals and ultimately the Fifa World Cup.
The 12th edition of the Caf-organised Awcon will be hosted by Morocco from July 2 to 23 this year.
The ninth instalment of the women’s World Cup will be held Down Under, jointly organised by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20 next year.
After a scary preparatory friendly match in which Banyana suffered a 3-0 loss to Zambia’s Copper Queens, coach Desiree Ellis could not wait for the arrival of South Africa’s overseas-based stars for Friday’s encounter against the north Africans.
True to form, the presence of goalkeeper Magaia, Noko Matlou, Refiloe Jane, Linda Motlhalo and Kgatlana made a huge difference.
The South African national team took the lead just before half time via Magaia of Moron BK in Sweden and Kgatlana, who plays for Spain’s Atletico Madrid, sealing the win with her clinical finishing to take Banyana one step closer to qualifying for this year’s Awcon finals, a prelude to booking a place at the World Cup.
“We planned well but the players executed our plans to perfection. We anticipated that they were going to play a low block, so we opted to work directly on those kinds of situations during the week,” said Ellis. Banyana take on Algeria in the second leg away match on Wednesday.