JOHANNESBURG — Banyana Banyana captain Amanda Dlamini scored the only goal of the match to give her side victory over Zimbabwe in an international friendly encounter played at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, South Africa, on Saturday.
Dlamini headed home six minutes into the second half from a neatly played cross from the right hand side of the field, from second-half substitute Silindile Ngubane, who was making her Banyana Banyana debut.
Durban Ladies (Sasol League KwaZulu Natal) striker Ngubane, brought on in the second half for Nocawe Skiti, instantly gave the hosts more thrust on attack.
Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Thoko Mndaweni pulled off several superb saves to deny the Zimbabweans from equalising and was deservedly named as the Sasol Diski Queen (player-of-the-match).
The Sasol-sponsored national senior women’s football team will face the Zimbabweans again tomorrow at 3pm, with the matches forming part of the national team’s preparations ahead of the eight nation Caf African Women Championship to be played in Equatorial Guinea from October 28 to November 11.
Banyana Banyana have been drawn in Group A and will face hosts Equatorial Guinea in Malabo on October 28, Senegal in Malabo on October 31 and will travel to the island city of Bata for their encounter with Democratic Republic of Congo on November 3.
Successful group stage results will see the South Africans play in the semi-finals in either Malabo or Bata on November 7, with the 3rd/4th place playoff and the title decider both scheduled for Malabo on November 11. Speaking after the match, Banyana Banyana head coach Joseph Mkhonza said: “The Zimbabweans are always a tough side to play, either at home or away, but the match gave us an opportunity to try out several combinations ahead of the Caf African Women Championship.”
The win over the Zimbabweans, coached by Rosemary Mugadza, ended Banyana Banyana’s run of reverses against their neighbours, having lost in the Cosafa Cup final and the Unity Day celebrations, both played in Harare last year. —Safa.net
