Banyana go down fighting in defeat to England

Banyana Banyana ended up 2-1 losers but produced a fighting performance in their international friendly away to a formidable England side on Tuesday night.    

Playing in pink to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the South Africans were impressive against one of the best teams in world football at a packed 30,000-seat Coventry Building Society Arena.

Strikes by Leah Williamson in the 12th minute and Grace Clinton 11 minutes later gave England an early 2-0 lead. But SA fought back and were unfortunate not to add to the excellent Thembi Kgatlana’s reply in the 55th minutes as the visitors dominated the second half.

The match pitted the African and European champions against each other and SA represented the continent far better than in their 5-0 drubbing by Denmark in Aalborg on Friday.

The two friendlies are part of coach Desiree Ellis’s team build-up to the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Besides winning Euro 2022 at home, England were also the losing finalists in the 2023 World Cup final against Spain, while Banyana became the first SA men’s or women’s senior team to progress past a World Cup group stage in Australasia.

Some sloppiness in defence in the first half saw Banyana concede two goals and were in danger of conceding more in the second period.

However, they were more committed after the break, challenging in the duels and far tighter in their shape, which appeared to rattle the Lionesses.

A stray England pass gave Hilda Magaia space on the right and her shot deflected into the path of Noxolo Cesane, who could not connect for a finish.

The Lionesses then made it 2-0 when right-back Maya Le Tissier was allowed too much space on the overlap. She chipped the ball onto the head of unmarked Clinton who headed past goalkeeper Kaylin Swart.

Banyana were a revitalised side back after the break and Kgatlana came into her own.

Ten minutes from the restart another stray England pass, by Williamson, went to the feet of the Banyana striker who gleefully sprinted through and beat keeper Mary Earps.

On the hour England’s legendary Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman rang multiple changes and Chloe Kelly’s powerful strike from the edge of the box beat substitute keeper Andile Dlamini before hitting the crossbar.

Kgatlana started to really trouble England. She got the ball in the net with a superb finish but from an offside position, and saw another shot deflected wide, before shooting straight at Earps as she outstripped the hosts’ defence at will.