Banyana Banyana ace Thembi Kgatlana has sent a stern warning to the rest of their counterparts in Group G after their brave fight against Sweden.
Banyana began their Fifa Women’s World Cup group stage campaign Down Under with a 2-1 loss to the Swedes – despite taking a second half lead though striker Hildah Magaia.
Speaking after the match at Wellington Regional Stadium, Kgatlana shared that the result was a bitter-pill to swallow especially after their efforts.
“It was a tough result, but a very proud team effort. The fact that we scored first, and they had to chase the game is something that we hardly do – to be in control and keep pushing,” Kgatlana said.
“We had chances in the second half as well, and I think that’s why we had an early goal. We knew that when they come back from half-time, they are very slow to start and that’s how we got that goal.”
The spotlight zoomed in on Magaia on the day as she scored on her World Cup debut, only to be stretchered off during the celebrations due to an injury.
But the masses and Kgatlana have lauded the collective exploits of the teams as they tamed Sweden for the better part of the game – only to be heartbroken by Amanda Ilestedt’s late header.
“I don’t think it’s a set-back and to be realistic the Swedish players are taller than us. We knew that if they were to score it would only be on headers because we cannot contest (with them),” Kgatlana continued.
“But realistically speaking, they had nothing. We controlled the game, shifted together, and worked as a team and that’s something that we have been practising the whole time leading up to this match.
“At the end of the day, we wanted to work more and harder for each other. They scored the way we predicted, but they didn’t score in front of us or the sides or anything else.”
With Banyana still in with a chance to reach the knockout stage for the first time, it is the team strategy that will serve them well.
That’s why Kgatlana has warned both Argentina and Italy, who now stand in their way of a positive result on July 28 in Wellington and August 2 in Dunedin, to tread carefully.
“The good thing is to play as a team. In the next coming games, the teams that are going to play us must know that we are going to come hard from a team perspective,” Kgatlana said.
“If we could contain a highly-ranked Sweden like this, that means they’ll also have to work – the fact that they are also highly-ranked than us doesn’t mean anything.
“At the end of the day it’s about who wants to win on the day and going forward as a team. That's something (winning rate) that we definitely want to improve on.”
Mihlali Baleka is at the Fifa Women's World Cup 2023, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, in partnership with Sasol.
IOL Sport