A
rampant start to the second half gave Banyana Banyana their first victory at
the Cyprus Cup as they beat Northern Ireland 2-1 at the Tasco Marko stadium in
Paralimni on Monday afternoon.
After
a slow start and a rather dull first half, it was the two second half
substitutions made by coach Joseph Mkhonza that livened things up. The two
sides came into the match having not scored nor registered a point in their
opening two Group C encounters in the tournament but that was to change.
Shortly
after resumption, Mkhonza brought in Gloria Thato and Robyn Moodaly to operate
on the wings, and it was their superb work on the flanks that made the telling
changes, resulting in strikers Jermaine Seoposenwe and Andisiwe Mgcoyi
manufacture the much-needed victory for the African silver medallists. Moodaly
and Seoposenwe, the two talented youngsters promoted from Basetsana, scored the
two goals within a space of five minutes.
First,
Thato linked well with Mgcoyi on the left wing and the tall striker controlled
the ball with her right foot and whipped in a delightful cross which was
brilliantly volleyed into the back of the net by Moodaly.
Shortly
after that opener, Banyana got the second goal. Thato’s neat interchange with
Nothando Vilakazi saw the later cross from the left wing for Seoposenwe to
easily slot the ball home at the near post to make it 2-0 for Banyana.
As
was the case with their defeat to Republic of Ireland last Friday, Banyana
Banyana again dominated the contest for most parts of the match and should have
added a couple more goals had the outstanding destroyer Refiloe Jane and
debutant Shiwe Nongwaya been more accurate in front of goals towards the end of
the match.
“We
may have won but it was not an easy outing. The substitutions made us change
our system, which completely caught the opponents off guard. But overall, we
are thrilled with the result and being able to finally find the target in
Cyprus,” said Jane, Banyana Banyana’s vice captain after the match.
The
central defensive pair of Lebogang Mabatle and Jermaine van Wyk defended with
aplomb but despite their heroics, they could not prevent Northern Ireland’s
Lynda Sheperd from scoring the consolation goal. The striker flicked the ball
home from a free kick to make the final score 2-1.
The
2012 African Women championship runners up will play Northern Ireland again on
Wednesday morning (11h00) to determine places for the 11th and 12th spot.
