South Africa is the new Queen of Football in Africa.
SweepSouth congratulates winners Banyana Banyana on their plight to victory at the Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations tournament 2022. The South African women’s team defeated Morocco by a 2-1 victory in a highly anticipated match where they secured their very first win at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat this past weekend.
Goalkeeper Of The Year
Goalkeeper Andile Dlamini was seen at the heart of the action as she kept three clean sheets out of the six games played at the tournament. Her efforts were rewarded as she gained the Goalkeeper of the Year Award which she dedicated to her family for their great support.
“In 2018, I was watching from the bench and I told myself that I want to play next time. As a team, we have worked hard to achieve this and this means so much,” Dlamini said while clutching her gold medal.
Tournament’s Top Scorer
Fellow teammate Hildah Magaia scored a brace which broke the long-standing curse of South Africa losing in the WAFCON finals. The Banyana Banyana player was given the title of Women of the Match and named joint top scorer at the 2022 tournament with Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak and Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade.
Previous Years
The South African women’s team was named the National Team of The Year and the Fair Play Team in their sixth attempt. In previous years 1995, 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018, Banyana Banyana didn’t get the chance to reach this point in the competition.
African Champions
One of Banyana’s stars, Refiloe Jane, shared her insight into what it feels like being a champion: “Honestly, it has not yet dawned on us that we are African champions. This feels like a dream to us. I know eventually when we sit down, we shall realise that it is true. When we look back at the journey, it is going to be a tough one,” the AC Milan midfielder revealed with deep relief.
The match ended with a bowl of nerves as Rosella Ayane bagged a goal back for the Moroccan side in the 80th minute of the match. Although one goal slipped to the Moroccan team, Banyana Banyana showed much effort and resilience to secure the win they deserved.
WAFCON History
South Africa is now the third team to win the WAFCON competition. Nigeria has been the regular winner having previously won 11 times, and Equatorial Guinea twice, since the tournament’s commencement in 1991. This win was South Africa’s second international title since the men’s team’s success back in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
Banyana Banyana has outdone themselves and made the entire country proud with their spectacular achievement. This will surely be remembered as one of the most successful moments in South African soccer. The WAFCON 2022 Champions are expected to arrive back home on Tuesday 26th July.
