African champions Banyana Banyana sealed their spot at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-1 aggregate win over Burkina Faso at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Monday afternoon.
The game will be remembered for their heroic display in the blistering heat of Attrigeville but also the legendary Janine van Wyk, who captained the side was taken off after eight minutes for a historic 185th senior international cap.
In a career that spanned 18 years she overtook Egyptian icon Ahmed Hassan as the leading appearance maker in international African football history.
But for all their dominance on the afternoon, Kaylin Swart made the most telling contribution in the opening half with a crucial one-on-one save.
And it took until the second half to open the scoring when Linda Motlhalo slotted home from the penalty spot 10 minutes after the break.
Nicole Michael who was a second-half substitute could have doubled the lead and made it a comfortable affair but her first touch let her down before a rushed effort sailed over the crossbar with the goal there for the taking.
But the near miss didn’t come back to haunt Desiree Ellis’ side as she made amends in the 86th minute with a composed effort to seal the 2-0 victory.
Swart’s two saves and the second-half goals made sure they booked their place at Morocco 2024, where they will look to defend the title they won for the first time in the capital city of Rabat against the host nation.
