Menzi Magubane
Banyana Banyana went through to the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semi final after beating Tunisia 1-0 in Morocco on Thursday night.
Desiree Ellis’s girls will now take on Zambia for a place in the final.
Banyana were dominant in the first half and it came as no surprise when they scored the opening goal. Jamaine Seoposenwe put Banyana ahead in the 14th minute after getting an assist from midfielder Nomvula Kgoale.
Seoposenwe, who scored her second goal of the competition, had an excellent finish to beat goalkeeper Soulaima Jebrani in a one-on-one situation.
It must be said Banyana, who were missing a number of players who tested positive for Covid-19, were all over Tunisia and they could have easily finished the match in the first half. Missing was also their star striker Thembi Kgatlana who is out of the competition after sustaining an injury against Botswana on Sunday.
As much as Banyana were dominant they were reminded that they were not playing alone. Tunisian striker Leila Maknoun caught Banyana napping in the 24th minute to take a shot but keeper Andile Dlamini produced a brilliant save.
In the second half things almost turned ugly for Banyana after Tunisia picked themselves up and took the game to their opposition. Banyana still had a number of scoring chances but they were wasteful.
The main culprit was Noxolo Cesani who fumbled three clear scoring chances. It wasn’t her day but her misses encouraged the Tunisians to up their game, but they were unable to break the Banyana defence.
Banyana should thank their lucky stars that Tunisia were not given a penalty in the 90th minute when Bambanani Mbane fouled a Tunisian forward. The referee Salima Makasambana decided not to consult the Video Assistant Referee despite the Tunisians shouting for it.
Meanwhile, earlier on the day Nigeria were the the third to book a semi-final spot after beating Cameroon 1-0 from a 56th goal by Rasheedat Ajibade. The other two teams in the semis are the host Morocco and Zambia.
All four teams will also represent Africa in the 2023 FIFA World Cup that will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
