Banyana Banyana have all but booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2024 COSAFA Women’s Championship with a 3-0 win over Eswatini at Wolfson Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Coach Maud Khumalo’s troops also maintained their 100% record and are the only unbeaten team as they shot to the top of Group A with six points after round two of matches.
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Nobuhle Mdelwa opened the scoring for the hosts in the 40th minute with a sweet left foot just the 18-yard area box to make it 1-0 for South Africa.
Perhaps the biggest moment of the match was when goalkeeper Jessica Williams rattled in a free kick from inside her own half in the 55th minute to give South Africa a comfortable 2-0 lead.
South Africa had to deal with early threats from Eswatini in the opening 10 minutes with Williams stamping her authority in goals. After that, possession switched to the hosts with the youthful Banyana taking the game to their neighbours.
Mdelwa found Mmabatho Mogale, however the latter wasted a glorious chance in the 13th minute. Captain Thalea Smidt could have also broken the deadlock from a Gugulethu Dlamini cross from the right wing, but the skipper was unlucky to not score with just the keeper to beat.
Ten minutes later, it was the University of Pretoria midfielder who found Asanda Hadebe on the left, but Hadebe’s shot went over the bar. Three minutes later, Mdelwa broke the deadlock. Banyana could have extended their lead just before halftime through Mogale, but she missed the target.
There were no immediate changes from at the start of the second half and it took just 10 minutes for Williams to double the lead for coach Khumalo’s charges and the lanky goalminder could have had a brace with another free-kick in the last 10 minutes, but the Eswatini goalie tipped Williams’ thunderous set-piece over the crossbar.
This is Banyana’s second win on the trot in the group following the narrow 1-0 victory over Namibia in the opener on Tuesday and they are yet to concede.
They are followed in the group by Namibia who thrashed Seychelles 6-0 in an earlier kick off.
Eswatini sit third on three points while the islandic debutants are bottom of the table with no points.
Banyana now only need a point in their last match against the Seychelles to progress to the knockout phase.
