Banyana Banyana kept their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) dream title alive after they booted out Burkina Faso 1-0 in a tense Group B last natch at the Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday night.
A first-half strike from star forward Thembi
Kgatlana proved to be the difference as South Africa secured a hard-fought victory to book their place in the quarterfinals, where they will face tournament hosts Morocco. The win, combined with Côte d’Ivoire’s victory over Tanzania, saw Banyana finish second in Group B and progress to the knockout stages.
The Desiree Ellis coached side needed nothing other than this victory to guarantee their qualification, and as a results, they started the match with urgency and dominated possession in the opening exchanges.
The breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Kgatlana latched onto a well-worked attacking move before calmly beating Burkina Faso goalkeeper Mariam Nikiema to hand South Africa a crucial 1-0 lead.
Despite taking the lead, Banyana failed to kill off the contest.
Linda Motlhalo came close in the 31st minute with a powerful effort from outside the penalty area that sailed narrowly over the crossbar, while Nthabiseng Majiya squandered a golden opportunity in the 39th minute after failing to connect cleanly with Karabo Dhlamini’s inviting cross.
Kgatlana nearly grabbed her second goal just before halftime, but her close-range shot was brilliantly saved by Nikiema.
Burkina Faso returned after the break determined to rescue their tournament and created several dangerous opportunities.
Their best chance arrived in the 57th minute when their striker broke through on goal, only to be denied by an excellent save from South African goalkeeper Kaylin Swart. Minutes later, the West Africans threatened again from a corner, but their header drifted agonisingly wide.
Banyana also had chances to extend their advantage. Hildah Magaia missed the target in the 68th minute after being played through on goal, while substitute Gabriela Salgado fired over the crossbar late in the match.
Burkina Faso continued to press in the closing stages and nearly snatched an equaliser in the 84th minute when a long-range effort narrowly missed the target, before another dangerous attack was cleared by Bambanani Mbane deep into stoppage time.
The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among the South African players, who survived a nervy finish to keep their hopes of retaining the continental crown alive.
The victory also maintained South Africa’s impressive record in the competition. Banyana, who won their maiden WAFCON title in 2022 by defeating hosts Morocco in the final, have now reached the knockout stages in successive editions and remain among Africa’s strongest women’s football nations.
For Burkina Faso, the defeat ended what had been a historic campaign. The Lady Stallions had earlier recorded their first-ever victory at a WAFCON tournament and pushed the defending champions all the way before bowing out with pride.