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While the Banyana Banyana “A-team” was demolished by Brazil over two friendly matches last week, another South African senior women’s national side quietly made an impression in the Cosafa Women’s Championship in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
A Banyana side mainly made of fringe and inexperienced players has reached the final of the regional tournament and will meet Zambia in the decider today.
Guided by national youth coach Simphiwe Dludlu, South Africa will be seeking a record-extending win this afternoon at Wolfson Stadium, at 3pm.
En route to the Cosafa final, Banyana produced a near-flawless performance that saw them finishing unbeaten during the group stage. They beat Angola and Mauritius, and drew against Mozambique.
In the semifinals, Dludlu’s charges overcame Nambia 1-0 on Friday to set up a date with Zambia, who edged Tanzania 2-1 in the last four.
READ: Banyana Banyana paid R400k women's Afcon bonus as SAFA walks the money talk
With all the players who won the Women’s Afcon with Banyana in July – and lost 9-0 on aggregate to Brazil last week – not part of Cosafa, a new star was born at the regional tournament. Her name is Lithemba Sam-Sam, whose goals boosted South Africa’s bid for the eighth Cosafa title against a Zambian team that is chasing its maiden crown in the competition.
The graduate from the Under-20s netted the solitary goal that earned Banyana a spot in the final, which took her goal tally to four and earned her a third place in the leading scorers’ chart, behind Botswana’s Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse with five and front runner Barbra Banda of Zambia with nine strikes.
Banda scored five goals in her team’s 7-0 destruction of Lesotho during the group phase last Sunday.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have been handed a tricky draw for the second edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Sundowns, who are the defending champions of the premier continental women’s club competition, are pitted against Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens and Wadi Degla of Egypt, while the last group opponent will come from the Central African Football Federations’ Union, a regional governing body for association football teams in Central Africa.
READ: WATCH | Banyana Banyana celebrate Afcon glory
The Women’s Champions League will run from October 30 to November 13 in Morocco.
The draw, which took place in Rabat, set up hosting club ASFAR against Tanzania’s Simba Queens, Zambia’s Green Buffaloes and Determine Girls of Liberia in Group A.
The top two teams across the two groups will advance to the semifinals, where the winners of the last four stage will meet in the final on November 13.
