South Africa, on Saturday, will face a less-favoured Senegal side in the quarter-finals, believing they’ve hit their stride at just the right time heading into the knockout stage.

They won’t, however, make the mistake of underestimating their opponents. During the group stage of Africa’s most prestigious women’s football competition, Banyana were pushed to the limit by Tanzania and survived a major scare.

Hildah Magaia after scoring against Mali. Photo: X

The East Africans took an early 1–0 lead, forcing South Africa to claw their way back for a 1–1 draw. Fortunately for Banyana, in the group’s other match that evening, Mali also played to a 1–1 draw against Ghana, who were eventually knocked out of the tournament.

On Monday evening, Banyana set the record straight, proving their pedigree with a dominant 4–0 win over Mali – a result that saw them top the group and secure what, on paper, appears to be an easier quarter-final. Had South Africa lost that game, they would have come up against the hosts and 2022 runners-up, Morocco.

The South African midfielder Gabriela Salgado says the team will back themselves heading into the knockouts, and there is a sense in the camp that they have started peaking at the right time.

“We came together in this tournament from our clubs, and we just made sure that what the coaches wanted from us in training, we tried to implement on the field,” said Salgado.

“Some days things don’t go according to plan, but in our last game, we definitely showed that the hard work we’ve put in at training is paying off. We’re chasing something bigger.

“I think everything is coming together at the perfect time as we head into the quarter-finals. We’re ready – we know what’s expected of us. The team has started to gel much more. We understand each other better as well. So, I think going into the next game, we’re mentally and physically prepared – we know what’s at stake.”

Saturday night’s quarter-final at the Stade d’Honneur in Oujda kicks off at 21:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs