Kaylin Swart hopes Nigeria victory will calm critics of Banyana Banyana team

The Banyana Banyana team has maintained its hopes for participation in the 2027 World Cup after securing a convincing 2-1 victory over Nigeria. The match took place in Casablanca at the Moulai Rashid stadium on Thursday evening.

Tembie Kgatlana and Refileo Jane scored goals for Banyana Banyana. The team demonstrated cohesive play, showing significant improvement and confidence compared to the WAFCON campaign, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Both national teams entered the match under intense scrutiny following disappointing performances that denied them direct qualification for the World Cup and prevented them from reaching the WAFCON semifinals. However, Banyana responded decisively to this pressure.

Despite a tense conclusion, in which captain Refileo Jane received a second yellow card for a handball infraction, Banyana secured the win. Although Uchenna Uchebe scored a penalty late in the match, it was not enough to stop South Africa.

South Africa now moves on to the next stage of the continental playoffs alongside Ghana. They will compete against Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, and Papua New Guinea for two spots in the final round.

Success at this stage will allow them to join other nations in the final round, where they will fight for three World Cup qualification spots against two CONCACAF teams, one UEFA team, and Venezuela.

The Banyana coaching staff demonstrated improved organization. There was an evident synergy between Desire Ellis and her assistants, who gave instructions sequentially, avoiding the misunderstandings observed in previous games.

This organization was also evident within the squad. Banyana controlled the tempo of the game, while captains Refileo Jane and Rashid Adjibade battled in the midfield. The first half was evenly contested, with possession mainly occurring in the middle of the field, and few real scoring chances tested goalkeepers Kylie Swart and Chiamaka Nnadosi.

Despite strong support from Nigeria, Banyana showed commendable mental fortitude throughout the entire first half. After the break, Nigeria returned with renewed energy, displaying better fluidity, but lacked clinical sharpness. Banyana relied on spirit to regain control. When Super Falcons lost possession, Ronnel Donnelly passed to Hilde Magaia, who made a selfless cross to the unnoticed Tembie Kgatlana, allowing her to send the ball past Nnadosi.

Kgatlana's timely goal silenced Nigerian fans, occurring shortly after the substitution of Asisat Oshola. Soon after, the team faced a dangerous moment when Kylie Swart made a stunning save, deflecting a header from Uchenna Kanu, highlighting her importance to the team after recent concerns over injury.

An energetic rendition of the song 'Mbobo Vuleka' rang out from the South African supporters. This proved to be a good sign: Refileo Jane capitalized on open space in the penalty area to score the winning goal in her 155th match. Under the guidance of match player Kylie Swart, who made another crucial late save, Banyana held onto the decisive victory. The team must now focus on securing a spot in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers later this year.

Banyana Banyana forward Tembi Kgatlana stated that the team never intended to easily relinquish its chances of reaching the Wafcon quarter-finals after securing that spot with a hard-fought victory over Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

Thanks to Kgatlana's single goal, Banyana defeated Burkina Faso, finishing second in Group B with four points. Costa de Mar, who beat Tanzania 2-1 in the final group stage match, topped the group.

The South African squad entered the match under significant pressure, as they needed to win to compensate for a poor start to the tournament, which included a loss to Tanzania and a draw with Costa de Mar. The 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso allowed Banyana Banyana to advance to the WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals.

Kgatlana, who received the player of the match award, noted that sometimes football gives you what you deserve. She emphasized that the team started very slowly but managed to pick up momentum in the last game. According to her, it is always important in the history of South African football to move forward.

"We weren't going to give up easily. I scored after a defensive error, and that helped us control the game a bit better," added Kgatlana. She admitted that the team lacked clinical sharpness or fluidity for a comfortable win against the 'Lady Stallions,' but believes that achieving the result was more important than style.

"Sometimes football doesn't always go according to the tactical plan. You get three points and move forward. I think that's what our team needed. You can see that everyone is happy and smiling in the locker room. They know how much progress means," shared Kgatlana.

Now Banyana Banyana will face the tournament hosts, Morocco, in the quarter-finals in Rabat on Saturday. A win in this match will ensure direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup, while a defeat will require participation in playoffs to earn a spot in Brazil.

The coach of the Banyana Banyana team, Disari Ellis, insists that her team still has grounds to hope for a spot in the quarter-finals of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, despite a difficult final stage following a dramatic 2-2 draw against Côte d'Ivoire.

The South African national team demonstrated immense character by managing to recover from a two-goal deficit. Captain Thami Kgatlana sparked the comeback with an impressive strike, and in the second half, substitute Hilda Magaia scored a dramatic late goal, which allowed them to salvage a crucial point.

This result placed Banyana at the bottom of Group B with one point after two games, trailing the leaders Côte d'Ivoire (four points), while Tanzania and Burkina Faso both have three points.

This means that Ellis's team needs to beat Burkina Faso in the last group match to have any chance of advancing to the playoffs. Furthermore, even a victory might not be enough, as Banyana's fate will also depend on the outcome of the match between Côte d'Ivoire and Tanzania, since the result is no longer entirely in South Africa's hands.

Banyana Banyana managed a 2-2 draw with Côte d'Ivoire in Casablanca. The mission continues, as their next opponent is Burkina Faso. Despite the difficult situation, Ellis is convinced that her players are capable of keeping the tournament alive.

After the match, Ellis stated: 'We are still in the game.' She added: 'All we can do is try to do our job, win the match, and score goals, because that is all we can control, and other results are out of our hands, but if we do that, we give ourselves a chance.'

Since all teams can qualify before the final round of matches, Ellis expects another tense day in Group B. She emphasized: 'We are still in the game, but when I look at the group, now for everyone in the group it is a match that must be won, so all we can do is win and wait for the final result in the match between Tanzania and Côte d'Ivoire.'

Although the coach was pleased with the resilience shown after the break, Ellis acknowledged that the team cannot afford another sluggish start if they want to overcome Burkina Faso. Banyana twice fell into the trap of Côte d'Ivoire's pace in the first half, when Grace Seri scored twice, giving the 'Lady Elephants' a significant lead before Kgatlana and Magaia inspired South Africa's fight.

Ellis noted: 'This team has shown courage and resilience, and it is not just in this game; even against Tanzania we created chances at the end and almost scored. Today we were unlucky at the end too.'

In Ellis's opinion, the plan for success was clear in the second half, when Banyana played with greater focus and determination. She believes that 'the way we played in the second half, that is how we should start the game; from the very beginning we must go all out, because that is what will be needed to get a result in the next game.'

Having kept hopes alive for WAFCON through an energetic comeback, Banyana now faces 90 minutes that could decide their tournament. A victory over Burkina Faso is critical, however, their chances of reaching the quarter-finals will ultimately depend on whether Côte d'Ivoire can deny Tanzania a result in another decisive group match.