South Africa’s women’s football team, known as Banyana Banyana, delivered a commanding 8-1 victory over Seychelles in their final Group A match at the COSAFA Women’s Championship, held at Madibaz Stadium in Gqeberha. Coach Maud Khumalo’s call for sharper finishing was met decisively as her youthful, Sasol-sponsored side showcased their offensive prowess on Monday.
Khumalo’s team, already qualified for the semifinals after previous wins over Namibia and Eswatini, approached this game with an unrelenting attacking mindset.
Kesha Hendricks led the charge, notching a hat-trick, while Sinamile Mkhwanazi contributed with a brace.
Goals from Ntando Phahla, Ayesha Moosa, and Tshegofatso Motlogelwa completed the rout, leaving no doubt about South Africa’s dominance.
Asanda Hadebe’s standout performance earned her the Player of the Match award, rounding off a successful day for the South Africans.
Seychelles, though still developing their program, managed to get on the scoreboard through Pascaline Moustache, who converted a penalty in the 75th minute.
The goal offered a measure of consolation for the islanders, who otherwise struggled to contain South Africa’s relentless attacking.
Khumalo praised her players’ performance, noting the importance of fine-tuning their gameplay ahead of the knockout rounds.
We knew that Seychelles are building, and it is still a process for them.
For us, it was more about fixing things we didn’t do right in the first two games in terms of scoring and sticking to the game plan,” she said.
Khumalo highlighted the importance of fluid ball movement and creating scoring opportunities, an approach her team worked on extensively in training.
Encouraging an offensive mentality, Khumalo directed specific instructions to Hadebe, urging her to push forward and capitalize on the ball’s frequent positioning on her side of the field.
I was encouraging Asanda to be more offensive because most of the ball was coming to her side, and there was no pressure on her side,” Khumalo explained.
Reflecting on the match, Khumalo emphasized the honor of representing the national team.
When the players go into camp, we set the standard and remind them why they are here.
When they wear that jersey, they represent the national team, and they must forget where they are coming from,” she said, underscoring the pride and commitment she expects from her squad.
Meanwhile, Seychelles coach Chris Hew Seem Yip-Au Hew Seem viewed the experience as a valuable learning opportunity, acknowledging the benefits of facing varied playing styles throughout the group stage.
For me, in every game that we played, we learned a lesson,” she remarked.
Reflecting on their matches against Eswatini and Namibia, she added, “Against Namibia, we faced a team with a very direct attack, so it was interesting to play a different playing style.
And of course, with South Africa, they have a lot of combination play, so I think it’s very interesting to be exposed to these different styles.”
As Banyana Banyana head into the knockout rounds, Khumalo can look back on an impressive group stage campaign, marked by 12 goals scored and only one conceded.
Their clinical finishing and cohesive play set a promising foundation for their title ambitions at the COSAFA Women’s Championship.
