Banyana Banyana’s hopes of booking a place in the knockout stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup were dashed following a 2-2 draw against Argentina in the early hours of Friday morning.
South Africa came close to a historic first win at the World Cup, leading 2-0 after the 60th minute, thanks to goals from Linda Motlhalo and Thembi Kgatlana.
However, the African champions squandered their healthy 2-goal lead with Argentina, coming back strongly in the last 30 minutes of the encounter.
On the brighter side, Banyana earned their first-ever point at a World Cup with the draw.
The showdown started at a slow pace in the first few minutes of the first half, with both sides failing to find any real momentum.
But, the contest swung to life when the first period progressed. However, goals were still failing to come in.
Desiree Ellis‘ charges tried to take command of the match, with Argentina being pushed back.
The showpiece at Forsyth Barr Stadium got physical, which saw skipper Refiloe Jane suffering an injury after a collision in the 22nd minute.
Jane couldn’t recover from the collision. She was replaced by Khloso Biyana in the 25th minute of the contest.
LINDA MOTLHALO BREAKS THE DEADLOCK
In the 30th minute of the game, Linda Motlhalo scored a goal for Banyana, but it was ruled offside. However, after the VAR check, the referee gave it as a goal.
On the other hand, Argentina struggled to threaten Kaylin Swart in the goalpost towards the half-time break.
The game went into the interval with South Africa leading by 1-0 against the South American side.
In the second stanza, Argentina started the half highly motivated, aiming to pull one back. But Banyana stood their ground.
South Africa continued to put in a resilient defensive performance to rebuff the efforts of Argentina’s attackers. They regained momentum to gain dominance of the match which saw them creating a couple of scoring opportunities.
In the 66th minute, Thembi Kgatlana added to the scoreline with a beautiful finish to make it 2-0.
Sophia Braun, managed to pull one back for Argentina in 74th minute of the encounter.
Argentina hit back in the last quarter
Just five minutes after the restart, Nunez levelled matters, breaking the hearts of South Africans, who had hoped Banyana to win the game.
The game ended with a 2-2, as Banyana failed to hold on to their lead to register their first-ever win at the prestigious tournament.
RELATED STORY: How Banyana coach plans to approach Argentina clash
