Banyana Banyana will compete in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final with Nigeria after defeating Mali in their semi-final on Tuesday.
Thembi Kgatlana scored the only goal of the game in the 31st minute, for her fifth of the tournament.
The result also means that Banyana will compete in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in France this coming June.
Head coach Desiree Ellis, who had initially taken over on an interim basis from Vera Pauw, revealed her delight at the achievement.
She said: “This is not about this team only, this is about South Africa. This is about all the coaches who have been there before [us], the players who have been there before [us], coaches in the Sasol League.
“But most importantly it’s about our sponsor Sasol and it’s about our South African football federation.
She added on KickOff: “We would not be where we are if they were not on board. They’ve been tremendous in the preparation we had over the year. They made sure that we had the best preparation possible, which does not guarantee you success, but this team is amazing.
“We have a core of over 50 players and they are all amazing. We thank God for this great opportunity. We are going to France and that’s what it’s about.”
The final is on Saturday, December 1 at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.
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