The South African Banyana Banyana make ‘herstory’

South Africa’s forward #08 Hildah Magaia (R) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women’s World Cup, August 2, 2023.
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MARTY MELVILLE/AFP or licensors

Last updated:
2 hours ago

South Africa

The South African Banyana Banyana make history after their 3-2 win over Italy in their final World Cup group stage game.

Stricker Thmebi Kgatlana scored two minutes into stoppage time on Wednesday, catapulting the team into a whole new ballpark.

“Having three African countries into the round of 16 shows you again about the growth. And imagine now if there was a lot of investment being put into place, what more can (we) achieve? You know, we have so much talent in Africa, that goes without saying. We’ve got a group of players who are playing overseas, who learn so much from abroad, who come back to their national teams and show their knowledge. But if we can invest in our own countries in Africa, we can get so much out of the players, and we can advance in so many tournaments. And you never know where we can get. But if you can get that investment in terms of money, in terms of sponsorship, in terms of broadcasts, so much can happen in the African continent,” expressed team captain Refiloe Jane.

Banyana Banyana’s history makers will be looking to repeat their heroics when they face the Netherlands in Sydney on Sunday.

“When you get out of your go stages into the round of 16, you are always going to face a tough opponent. And for us, it’s the Netherlands. We are going to do our best. We’ve been playing the way we played, and we’re going to stick to our game plan. We’re going to go with everything that we can because it’s like a different stage for us all. I think at this moment in time, it doesn’t matter the way you are ranked. It’s a World Cup and anything can happen,” explained Kholosa Biyana, South Africa midfielder.

It’s the first time a team from South Africa has made it beyond the group stage of a World Cup for both men and women’s teams.

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