New Zealand kicked off the Fifa Women’s World Cup in fine style by clinching a surprise 1-0 victory over Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday, and soon it will be the turn of African champions Banyana Banyana to grace the biggest stage of their sport.
The South African team have been hard at work in Wellington this week before their tournament opener against Sweden on Sunday morning, 7am South African time.
Coach Desiree Ellis’ side go into the event in a confident mood after they beat fellow World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica 2-0 in a friendly in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Saturday.
That result was a relief for Banyana fans, as the squad left South Africa under a cloud because of a pay dispute with the SA Football Association.
A final resolution has yet to be announced in that regard, but now Ellis and the players know that it’s time for them to put those issues aside and produce their best efforts on the pitch.
They certainly have the team to advance to the round of 16 at least, with overseas-based stars such as forwards Thembi Kgatlana, Hildah Magaia and Jermaine Seoposenwe, as well as captain and midfielder Refilwe Jane and defender Noko Matlou.
It was a difficult introduction to the World Cup the last time around in France in 2019, where they had a much tougher group.
They actually led 1-0 in their opening game against Spain via a Kgatlana goal, but went down 3-1 in the end, which was followed by defeats to China and Germany.
Coach Ellis will be hoping for a different outcome this time around, but they will have their work cut out to get the better of their Group G rivals, who are all above them on the Fifa world rankings.
While Banyana are currently at No 54, Sweden are third (behind USA and Germany), Italy are 16th and Argentina 28th.
But having gone through the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations undefeated last year, where they beat hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final in Rabat, Banyana have proved that they can handle the pressure of the big occasion.
So, let’s hope that our champion ladies can make Mzansi proud once more.
Cape Times