Banyana Banyana target Ivory Coast response after Tanzania shock

Banyana Banyana forward Thembi Kgatlana says South Africa remain firmly in contention at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations despite their 2-1 defeat by Tanzania four days ago.

The 2022 champions were beaten by Tanzania at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Monday, with the result giving their opponents a first-ever victory in the tournament.

South Africa now face a crucial Group B meeting with Ivory Coast at the same venue tonight at 19:00 South Africa time. Ivory Coast moved to the top of the group after beating Burkina Faso 4-1 in their opening match later on Monday.

Kgatlana believes the result against Tanzania does not define Banyana Banyana’s campaign, with the group still open and further matches to play.

“We are still in the tournament. The first game doesn’t determine where you are going to finish,” said Kgatlana.

The forward acknowledged that South Africa must raise their performance levels against Ivory Coast, particularly after failing to apply enough pressure in their opening match.

Tanzania are the lowest-ranked team in Group B, placed 122nd in the world and 18th in Africa. Despite South Africa enjoying possession, Kgatlana said the team did not make sufficient use of the ball or play with the urgency required.

“We need to increase our tempo … Against Tanzania we kept the ball well, but our intensity wasn’t high and we hardly put them under pressure. Against Ivory Coast, the aim is to play with high intensity from the word go and threaten the goal as quickly as possible.”

Ivory Coast’s emphatic win over Burkina Faso means they begin the second round of group fixtures with confidence, while Banyana Banyana are looking to recover immediately from their unexpected setback.

Kgatlana described the match as a significant one for South Africa but said the players had already taken time to assess what went wrong against Tanzania.

“It’s a big game for us, the second one in the group. The first game didn’t go in our way, but I think we’ve had days and time to reflect.”

The four teams that reach the semi-finals of this year’s Africa Women’s Cup of Nations will qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

That qualification opportunity adds further importance to South Africa’s remaining group matches. Banyana Banyana, who lifted the continental title in 2022, must now seek a positive result against Ivory Coast after Tanzania claimed a historic win in Casablanca.

The tournament is being hosted by Morocco, with the Group B encounter between South Africa and Ivory Coast scheduled for 19:00 South Africa time at Moulay Rachid Stadium.