It has been an explosive week for Banyana Banyana after the national team retained their COSAFA Women’s Championship title at the Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth, edging out their opponents Zambia 1-0 in the final.
The South Africans were in fine form throughout the regional showcase, proving that they had certainly taken away valuable lessons after having participated at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France earlier in June this year.
Not only was the title victory a highlight, but there were outstanding individual accolades as the team’s stand-in captain Refiloe Jane, together with striker Amanda Mthandi ended the campaign as joint top goalscorers with five goals apiece and Mamello Makhabane added her name into an elite group when she earned her 100th cap.
On the other hand, for defender Bambanani Mbane who was nearing her 50th appearance, missed out on the golden opportunity when she sat out of the game against Malawi, but Mbane believes that it was all about the team and not about individual glory.
“I’m very thankful. I’m really delighted. Winning the COSAFA (Cup) three successive times means a lot to us.
“It shows that we are a solid team and we really wanted it.” – Banyana Banyana defender, Bambanani Mbane
“At first it wasn’t easy going into the tournament considering our performance in the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup where we failed to win a single game. We had to do what it takes to make the country and the supporters in PE happy. We had to win it for them. It was very important to us.”
She continued to talk about the final match against Shepolopolo, stating that every team that comes up against Banyana always have a point to prove.
“The game against Zambia was not difficult, but you know how every team that competes against Banyana Banyana always want to win but we also wanted to win. It was not a walk-in-the-park, but it was a winnable game,” the defender said.
“Every game is important, as you can see, defenders and almost everyone in the team can now score and it shows the flexibility in our team. It shows we have a lot of choices that will help us going forward,” Mbane added.
“It’s not even about getting game-time, as long as the team bears fruitful results.” – Bambanani Mbane
When asked about missing out on her 50th cap, Mbane emphasised that she will continue to work hard until she reaches her milestone.
“Football is like that, but you must always be ready. Not playing one game or a final doesn’t mean you won’t play the next. It’s not even about getting game-time, as long as the team bears fruitful results.
“Only one cap before I reach 50 caps – as a player, the hard work continues and I will get to it,” she ended.
Photo 1 Caption: Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane will be looking forward to earning her 50th cap for the national team in the future after having missed out on the opportunity when she did not feature in the match against Malawi in the 2019 COSAFA Women’s Championship. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/Backpage Media
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