Soccer
Banyana hold their nerve in penalty thriller against Senegal─── MORGAN PIEK 07:44 Sun, 20 Jul 2025
The national women’s football team, Banyana Banyana, continued their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence with a dramatic win on penalties in the quarter-finals against Senegal in Morocco.
On Saturday, South Africa booked their spot in the semi-finals of the continent’s most prestigious women’s football competition, but they were made to dig deep for it. After a goalless draw following extra time, Banyana Banyana edged Senegal 4-1 in a tense penalty shootout at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda.
In the 114th minute, there was a big call for a penalty after striker Jermaine Seoposenwe was brought down in the box. However, following a VAR review, the referee ruled there was no foul, and the match was forced into a shootout.
Andile Dlamini. Photo: SAFA
Goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, who has been out of favour in recent years despite being South Africa’s top shot-stopper, rose to the occasion. She saved two of Senegal’s spot-kicks to keep Banyana’s title hopes alive.
Karabo Dhlamini, Tiisetso Makhubela, Gabriela Salgado and Bambanani Mbane all calmly converted their penalties to seal a memorable 4-1 win in the shootout.
In Saturday’s other quarter-final, Ghana edged Algeria 4-2 on penalties after that match also ended goalless after extra time.
On Friday, in the quarter-finals, Nigeria thumped Zambia 5-0, while Morocco were too strong for Mali with a 3-1 victory.
South Africa will now face arch-rivals Nigeria in the first semi-final on Tuesday at 18:00 at Stade El Arbi Zaouli in Casablanca.
The second semi-final sees hosts Morocco take on Ghana at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00.
