Banyana Banyana midfielder Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado has outlined what spurred their bounce back in the group stage to secure a place in the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON] quarter-finals.
Desiree Ellis‘ charges sealed their spot in the knockout phase following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Tuesday night at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.
Star forward Thembi Kgatlana struck in the 21st minute to secure all three points. The victory, combined with Ivory Coast’s win over Tanzania, ensured South Africa progressed to the next round.
The result saw Banyana finish second in Group B with four points from three matches.
They will now face host nation Morocco in a blockbuster quarter-final clash on Saturday, 8 August, with kick-off scheduled for 22:00 [South African time].
Speaking in a post-match interview, midfielder Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado reflected on the team’s group stage journey, emphasising that early setbacks served to strengthen their bond and build the unit required to keep their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification dreams alive.
‘WE HAD A ROUGH START’: GABRIELA MOODALY-SALGADO
Banyana endured a slow start to the WAFCON tournament in Morocco, suffering a 2-1 defeat to neighbours Tanzania and drawing 2-2 against Ivory Coast, before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso.
“It wasn’t easy. We had a rough start, but we showed resilience. We lost the first game, drew the second, and now we have won. We know the next game is a must-win because we want to qualify for the World Cup,” said Moodaly-Salgado.
“So, we have to give it our all. We can’t make a mistake. We are going out there to give it our best and make the country proud.
“This just reminds us that it’s not about how you start the tournament, but how you progress through it. This experience has actually brought us together. We are so much closer, and we know that if we have each other’s backs, nothing can stop us.”
The midfielder stated that team unity and playing for the nation will remain their biggest driving force against the host nation – Morocco in the last eight.
“As long as we fight for each other on the field and remember that we are not playing for ourselves but for everyone out there, I think that helped us going into this game [against Burkina Faso]. I think it will also help us going to the game against Morocco. We know we have each other’s backs, and we are capable of doing anything,” she added.
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