Three key confrontations will determine the Banyana Banyana vs Morocco quarter-final at WAFCON

The Banyana Banyana team managed to advance to the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) quarter-finals after a tense 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso. The goal scored by Thembi Kgatlana was decisive in the match, which took place during the final round of Group B at Prince Moulay Rashid Stadium in Casablanca on Tuesday evening.

Thanks to this win, the South Africans secured second place in the group, accumulating four points. Their progression was made possible by Costa Rica defeating Tanzania in their parallel match, which benefited Banyana because any other result against Tanzania could have worked against them according to the head-to-head rule, considering their loss to Twiga Stars in the first match.

Banyana was aware that their performance in the group stage was not the best. Therefore, they needed to demonstrate a higher level of play against the host team Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday to contend for a spot in the Wafcon semi-finals and, consequently, in the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Although a defeat to Morocco would not mean the end of hopes for the World Cup, the team would have had to qualify through difficult continental and intercontinental playoffs.

It has been ten years since Banyana last reached the final round of the Wafcon group stage needing a win to advance. At that time, they achieved this by securing a convincing 5-0 victory over Egypt, which boosted their confidence in repeating success in Casablanca.

Banyana did its part by beating Burkina Faso 1-0. Costa Rica also succeeded by defeating Tanzania 2-1 in the simultaneous start, allowing them to take first place in the group ahead of South Africa's second place.

An early exit for Banyana would have been painful. They were in such a precarious position due to their own mistakes: careless defense led to a loss to Tanzania, and then they drew with Costa Rica.

Despite these shortcomings, coach Desiré Ellis maintained high confidence in the team, expecting the players to give their all against Burkina Faso, while hoping for a favorable outcome in the other match.

This is exactly what happened. Kaylin Swart prevented an early threat to Banyana by intercepting a dangerous cross. This calmed the team's nerves, allowing them to control the game and advance into the final third of the field.

Captain and Player of the Day Refilo Jane, who is 34 years old, set the pace of the match, giving Isabelle Ludwig—one of the two substitutes playing against Costa Rica—enough freedom for maneuvers.

Banyana's persistence paid off when the Burkina Faso defenders could not handle the attack, allowing Thembi Kgatlana to capitalize on a pass from Fikile Magama and send the ball past goalkeeper Nina Dabilgu.

Kgatlana could have put Banyana in a dominant position with a second goal in the match, but she missed from close range after Jane organized a free kick with a well-thought-out combination.

Banyana held onto the lead until halftime. Then Ellis made substitutions in the half, bringing on Amogelang Motau and Lebokhanga Ramalephe instead of Linda Motlhalho and Noksolo Sesane, respectively.

Ellis's side almost lost control of the advantage shortly after this when referee Alin Eton awarded Burkina Faso a penalty, believing that Antonia Maponya had fouled the opponent in the box. However, after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor, she overturned her decision.

After overcoming this danger, Banyana increased the pressure, pushing more players forward, with Kgatlana leading the attack. However, Kgatlana's hard work went unnoticed as her teammates failed to finish the attacks in the penalty area.

Ellis added even more attacking players, including Gabriela Mudali-Salgado, to support Kgatlana up front. Although Banyana could not establish a two-goal lead, it ultimately did not matter—Kgatlana's goal and Costa Rica's victory secured Banyana's place in the quarter-finals.

The Banyana Banyana team is required to defeat Burkina Faso, but even a triumph might not be enough as their further fate in the WAFCON tournament depends on the results of the match between Comoros and Tanzania.

Banyana Banyana coach, Desire Ellis, admits that qualification for the WAFCON quarter-finals is not entirely in their hands, so the team needs to do its part and rely on other results to achieve the goal.

On Tuesday evening (at 22:00 SAST), the Banyana team will face Burkina Faso in the Group B final at Mulai Rashid Stadium. This game is decisive after the team started the tournament sluggishly, losing to Tanzania and drawing with Comoros.

These previous results put the team in a difficult position, as they must beat Burkina Faso and hope for a favorable outcome in the match between Comoros and Tanzania, which will start simultaneously in Casablanca.

If both teams, Banyana and Comoros, win their matches, then Ellis's team will take second place in the group behind their West African rivals, which will secure a spot in the top two and passage to the quarter-finals.

Reaching the round of 16 is paramount for Banyana, as it will allow them to remain on track for the third consecutive Women's World Cup—either through the semi-finals or through tense playoffs if they reach the quarter-finals.

Before the match, Ellis stated that she understands the danger posed by Burkina Faso but expressed confidence in the sufficient depth of the squad to fight well and achieve the desired result.

"All games in the tournament are different, and this is no exception," said Ellis. "They have demonstrated their quality and organization, but we must focus on ourselves." She added: "We know what we have to do: we must win the game. That is the most important thing. We can only control what is in our hands. If we win the game with a sufficient number of goals, we give ourselves a strong chance of advancing."

The pressure has not eased, nor has their belief. The team has prepared for this and knows what is expected of it, as explained by confident @amogelang_motau before the Banyana Banyana vs. Burkina Faso match.

Considering that the group table also takes into account head-to-head results, Banyana will also advance to the quarter-finals if both they and Tanzania win, provided they score a large number of goals against Burkina Faso and Comoros.

Since the team conceded goals in both matches—amid changes in the squad, with Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart taking starting positions—Ellis understands that her team needs to be very solid in defense and ruthless in attack.

"We have shown what we are capable of and demonstrated our resilience. Therefore, we must build on that and aim for a clean sheet," concluded Ellis. "We have not been ahead in this tournament yet, so we need to change that and score first."