Ghana deny Banyana a Wafcon bronze medal finish
The sides were locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes of football and the game was eventually decided by penalties.
Banyana Banyana’s hope of returning home with a medal from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco was ended when Ghana edged them 4-3 to claim the bronze medal last night.
The third-place playoff match, which was played at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, had to be decided by penalties after the sides were locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes of football.
South Africa started the match looking the better of the two sides and they created some decent goalscoring opportunities early on, but the Black Queens had more ball possession than Banyana in both halves.
Hildah Magaia almost gave Banyana the perfect start when she took a powerful shot towards goal in the first minute of the match and the ball was deflected away for a corner kick. From that resultant corner, Linda Motlhalo saw her long-range shot go narrowly wide of goal.
The Black Queens had two chances to take the lead with their best chance falling to Doris Boaduwaa in the 15th minute after Banyana failed to clear their lines, luckily for South Africa, her shot went just over the crossbar.
Grace Asantewaa then tried her luck from long range in the 27th minute, but she shot straight at Ayanda Dlamini who made a simple save.
Just when the teams looked like they would head to the half-time break still locked, Banyana’s Cynthia Komlan scored. The Ghana goalkeeper received a back pass from one of her defenders and, instant of kicking the ball away, she tried to trap it and was dispossessed by Jermaine Seoposenwe who set up Nonhlanhla Mthandi to slot it home from just outside the penalty box.
South Africa led Ghana 1-0 at the break.
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis made two changes at the start of the second half, introducing captain Refiloe Jane and Kgaelebane Mohlakoana for goal scorer Mthandi and Regina Mogolola respectively.
Magaia almost doubled South Africa’s lead in the second minute of the second half, but her shot was saved by Komlan.
Following that missed chance, Banyana took their feet off the paddle and Ghana regained control of the game and they created opportunities to score.
It didn’t come as a surprise when they found their equaliser albeit in fortuitous manner as Dlamini initially made a save by fisting the ball into the crossbar and Bongeka Gamede tried to clear the rebound, only to ram the ball home.
Ghana were unlucky not to win the match deep into the referee’s optional time when Evelyn Badu’s shot hit the crossbar with Dlamini well-beaten.
In the end, the game had to be decided on penalties and Ghana emerged victorious.
