Botswana women overcome Banyana

| Monday May 2, 2011 00:00

 

After several raids on the home team's goal area, Thuto Ramafifi silenced the crowd in the 26th minute when she found space on the right hand side of the park before beating goalkeeper Andile Dlamini with a well-angled shot to make it 1-0 to Botswana.

Botswana masterminded one of the biggest upsets in women's football history. Botswana, not counted amongst the elites of women football on the continent, dominated a South African side weakened by the absence of key players Thoko Mndaweni, Janine van Wyk, Yola Jafta, Mamello Makhabane and Nocawe Skiti. Banyana Banyana, runners-up at the two previous edition of the continental version of the Olympic Games were shy in front of goal despite several goal scoring chances.

The teams will meet in the second leg qualifier in Gaborone on May 14 and the side with the superior goal aggregate will qualify for the All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique, in September this year.

'We have been working hard on goal scoring in training but it didn't happen for us today and we will continue to focus on this important area when we return to the training pitch,' said Mkhonza.

Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza blamed their loss to the poor conversion rate of his strikers and hopes they will make amends in the return leg in a fortnight.

'We have been working hard on goal scoring in training but it didn't happen for us today and we will continue to focus on this important area when we return to the training pitch,' said Mkhonza.