Egypt 0
South Africa (1)5
Mgcoyi 28, Vilakazi 60, Jane 62, Seoposenwe 67, Motlhalo 84
Limbe Omnisports Stadium, Cameroon
In the venue where Hlompho Kekana smashed his way into being nominated for Fifa’s Goal of the Year award, Banyana Banyana bulldozed their way into the semifinal of the Africa Women Cup of Nations.
Perhaps it’s a good thing then that the senior women’s national team will stay in this city that has been good to South Africans a bit longer.
The serene Limbe feels like a different country compared to the hustle and bustle of Yaounde where the hosts, Cameroon, are based. Their presence means that all the matches that are played there involving them come with a lot of fanfare. A decent amount of fans, who had packed Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, would stay behind after Cameroon’s matches to cheer the other teams in Group A.
There was none of that here because while Banyana took on Egypt, the Indomitable Lionesses squared off against Zimbabwe in Yaounde with kick off at the same time. A paltry crowd, with the far stand occupied mainly by soldiers, watched this crucial match that would decide who joins Cameroon in the last four.
They got their monies worth with Banyana finally scoring in this tournament. Once they started scoring, they didn’t stop as if they were making up for the other two matches. Silindile Ngubane, in her first start in the tournament, put on a show. The skilful midfielder was Banyana’s livewire, something they lacked in the loss to Cameroon and goalless draw with Zimbabwe.
FULL TIME score in Limbe, South Africa 5-0 Egypt. SA go through to the semi finals #CAFAWCON @madamenamhla @SAFA_net @SasolSA @SasolLeague
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) November 25, 2016
Ngubane created a lot of space for Andisiwe Mgcoyi and Jermaine Seoposenwe to exploit. She went further and created Mgcoyi’s goal, Banyana’s first in the AWC three games later.
The lanky striker didn’t have to do much but guide the ball into the back of the net after Ngubane beat three defenders before playing a cross that fell on the path of Mgcoyi. The time it took to get that goal, almost half an hour, felt like forever because Banyana attacked the Egyptians from the first whistle. But once they kicked into action, they hit Egypt with a flood of goals in the stadium that’s by the sea.
Post match press conference underway at Limbe Omnisports Stadium. SA won 5-0 against Egypty @madamenamhla @SAFA_net @SasolSA @SasolLeague pic.twitter.com/CUYj6c5lDI
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) November 25, 2016
For a moment it looked like Banyana would drown in this tournament because of their poor display upfront. They improved that and booked themselves a place in the last four. Nothando Vilakazi, Refiloe Jane and Jermaine Seoposenwe made sure of that with the three goals they scored in a space of seven minutes. Linda Motlhalo, with a brilliant striker outside the box, rubbed it in.
The side’s interim coach Desiree Ellis fielded an attack-minded side because they needed to hit Egypt hard to reach the semifinal.
The defensive trio of Noko Matlou, Bambanani Mbane and Janine van Wyk provided good cover to allow their teammates to go forward without fear and a lot of freedom against a team that looked to hit them on a counter. Banyana pinned Egypt into their own half, hardly allowing them space to breathe. Salma Ahmed cut an isolated figure upfront with three centrebacks watching her.
Tomorrow Banyana will know who they’ll play in the last four on Tuesday here. It will likely be Nigeria who take on Kenya here while Ghana and Mali square off in Yaounde to see who will join the nine-time African champions in the last four from Group B.
* Njabulo Ngidi is in Cameroon courtesy of Sasol
Independent Media