Banyana Banyana suffered a heavy 5-0 thumping to a clinical Japan side in the first of their two friendlies this morning as they continue their WAFCON preparations.
Brighton & Hove Albion star Kiko Seike and Manchester City attacker Aoba Fujino both scored braces, while Bayern Munich Momoko Tinakawa midfielder grabbed the other goal.
Notably, key Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana started on the bench, as coach Desiree Ellis selected most of the players who started the previous friendly matches against Japan.
South Africa got off to a disappointing start, conceding an early goal when goalkeeper Andile Dlamini failed to claim a cross, leaving Seike with the simple task of tapping into an empty net.
The East Asian side continued to pile pressure on Ellis’ charges, who were starved of space to build from the back or create any meaningful forward movements.
Seike struck again in the 18th minute to double the lead for Japan, bagging a brace for herself. The hosts also exploited a Banyana mistake when Liverpool midfielder Fuka Nagano dispossessed Refiloe Jane and played the ball to Seike, who calmly slotted it past Dlamini.
A few minutes later, Banyana engineered a rare attacking move, but Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita—who plays for Manchester City—produced a fine save to deny a thunderous shot from Gabriela Salgado.
In the 29th minute, Japan extended their lead to three when Tanikawa beat Dlamini with a sensational, rattling strike from distance.
The SA side struggled to find a way back into the contest, with the score remaining 3-0 at the break.
The home side returned from the half time and picked up where they left off, scoring an early goal of the first half via Fujino.
The Japanese were well-structured from back to front, remaining solid defensively as they didn’t allow their opponents much room to bounce back.
In the 60th minute, Fujino bagged a brace, interchanging play with Manaka Matsukubo to dismantle the Banyana defence before she found the back of the net.
Banyana will be looking to come back stronger when they face the same side at J-Green Sakai in the second encounter on Tuesday, 9 June at 15h30 local time (08h30 SA Time).