Basetsana Punish Mozambique

SA U20 striker Chantelle Esau plays the ball away from Mozambique’s Maria Chiconela during their World Cup Qualifier in Pretoria on Sunday. Basetsana won 4-0. Pictures: Tladi Khuele/Bochabela Photography courtesy SAFA

The South African National Women’s Under-20 Women team punished their Mozambican counterparts 4-0 at Pretoria’s Caledonian Stadium on Sunday 13th January, to secure a remarkable double victory against neighbours Mozambique following the senior men’s 2-0 victory in Durban.

Basetsana’s convincing victory is a positive start to the team’s 2008 FIFA U20 World Cup qualifying campaign, and the team is optimistic about their chances of qualifying for the World Cup finals scheduled for November this year Chile.

The SAFA CEO Raymond Hack thanked Pretoria for supporting women football; “We are encouraged by the support we receive from the people of Pretoria every time our women national teams play, to all our loyal supporters throughout the country, you deserve a Thank-You!”.

Basetsana had good preparations for this World Cup campaign, including a camp in Germany late last year where they played international friendly matches with Germany and Holland, with a remarkable win against the host country, and a loss to Netherlands in the second match.

Basetsana’s Tina Selepe in tussle for the ball with Augusta Masinga.

But the team’s opening World Cup qualifying match against Mozambique was the best possible result, setting Basetsana up for a positive advantage in advance of their trip to Mozambique in a fortnight, to play the return leg of their opening qualifier.

The 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile is scheduled for November 2008, and are bolstered by the inclusion of a number of players who presently feature in Banyana Banyana, including Basetsana captain-Gloria Thato, Memory Makhanya, Kylie-Ann Louw, Lusinda Bowers and Mamello Makhabane.

The bulk of the players have been groomed for two years or more at the SAFA/LOTTO Girls High Performance Centre in Pretoria. “It is now time for the High Performance players to prove their worth,” said Anna Monate, Head Coach of the U20 squad.

“The team is very well prepared and we are confident of qualification for the world cup if everything goes according to plan,” added Fran Hilton-Smith, Head of Women’s Football.

All the big guns including Nigeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo have again entered the competition, and the path to securing one of the two places up for grabs will be difficult.