WAFCON 2024: South Africa beats Ghana 2-0; Mali pips Tanzania in Women's African Cup of Nations
Banyana Banyana opened the scoring in the 28th minute from the penalty spot, with Linda Motlhalo converting after Noxolo Cesane — playing her 50th match for South Africa — was fouled in the box by Grace Asantewaa.
South Africa didn't settle after taking the lead and doubled it just six minutes later.
MORE FROM WAFCON 2024: Asisat Oshoala, Babajide shine as Nigeria beats Tunisia 3-0
Lebohang Ramalepe delivered a cross from the right, setting up Jermaine Seoposenwe, who beat Cynthia Konlan at her near post. The Monterrey striker nearly scored again in the 63rd minute when she was played in behind, but her shot went wide.
Ghana, sluggish in the first half, showed far more intent after the break. Alice Kusi's effort rattled the woodwork in the 60th minute, and Evelyn Badu's header hit the frame of the goal 10 minutes from time.
In the other Group C match, Mali beat Tanzania 1-0 in Berkane, with Saratou Traoré scoring the winner in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
Mali plays Ghana next in Berkane while South Africa will take on Tanzania in the second matchday of the group four days later.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
'Once a worry, India's improved fielding a major reason for their remarkable turnaround'
MUMBAI: For long, fielding has been a major Achilles' heel for the Indian women's team, costing them heavily in several big tournaments. However, things on this front have been entirely different in England this summer. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a major, welcome change, Harmanpret Kaur & Co's electric fielding has actually emerged as their strength, contributing majorly to the side's maiden T20I series in (they hold an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with the final match to be played on Saturday night) England recently-an achievement that has largely gone under the radar due to the ongoing high-profile men's Test series between the two nations. Throwing themselves on the field with gay abandon, India's fielders have pulled off some spectacular catches, effected run outs and saved runs-a far cry from the sight of the same lot fumbling with the ball on previous occasions. That India's fielding is finally changing from 'sloppy' to 'electric' augurs well for the Women-in-Blue as they have big challenges lined up for the next year or so- the 50 overs World Cup in India in Sept-Oct-Nov and then the T20 World Cup in England in June 2026. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Fielding, once a worry, has seen a remarkable turnaround. The improvement has been evident and played a key role in the team's recent success," former India women's team captain Shubhangi Kulkarni, currently a member of the BCCI's Apex Council, told TOI on Saturday. "They held targeted camps ahead of the tour, and the results are clear to see. The Women in Blue are carrying themselves with energy, confidence, and purpose—signs of strong preparation and also I am sure the exposure from the Women's Premier League (WPL) has helped," she said. Across the four matches against England, one could see that Harmanpreet Kaur & Co seemed to be fielding with confidence and athleticism. In a refreshing change, they have so far completely outclassed hosts England, who have been mostly shoddy, in this department. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Back when I had joined the team, we had decided on one thing: we wanted to become a good fielding side. We all needed to contribute towards that and work together. Every player, senior or junior, responded to that,' said India's fielding coach Munish Bali on Friday on the eve of the fifth and final T20I in Birmingham. Jasprit Bumrah and Joe Root react to the Dukes ball drama at Lord's | IND vs ENG 'It was a shared dream that came from the players as well. They wanted to do well, feel like Australia and England (in terms of fielding standards). We knew that we were doing the work in the background, so sooner or later, the results would come. We had done some good fielding during the Women's Tri-Series (against Sri Lanka and South Africa). The same has carried over to the current series against England as well. The commitment they showed to improving their fielding was not only seen during the match but also in their practice matches,' he said. Another heartening feature of the Indian women's team in England this summer has been the excellent show of their spinners. While the vastly-experienced (seven wickets in four T20Is@16.85) has been supported well by left-arm spinner Radhav Yadav (five wickets in four matches@16.60), the real surprise package has been Andhra's 20-year-old left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who made a sensational T20I debut in the opening T20I at Nottingham, took four for 12 in 3.5 overs to script India's 97-run win. In the fourth T20I at Old Trafford, 'Player of the Match' Radha Yadav (2-15 in four overs) and Charani (2-30 in four overs) took four for 45 in eight overs, playing a massive role in India's six-wicket series clinching win. In four T20I so far, Charani has taken 10 wickets@11.30-the most by any bowler in the series-at an economy rate of just 7.13, marking a phenomenal start to her T20I career. "The spinners have been in fine form, with Deepti Sharma leading them and Sree Charani has emerged as a real asset—an exciting find, especially with the ICC Women's ODI World Cup looming on home soil," Kulkarni praised. Of course, it was a blazing, maiden T20I century (112 off 62 balls) by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana which helped India put up 210 for five and record a huge win in the first game at Nottingham, and make a statement that the visitors were in the mood for something special this time in England. In the second T20I at Bristol, India collapsed to 31 for three at the start, but recovered to score 181 for four thanks to 63-run knocks by Jemimah Rodrigues and allrounder Amanjot Kaur. "Smriti set the tone with a sparkling century, and the rest of the batting unit - Jemi, Harleen, Amanjot and others - stepped up beautifully, each player contributing when it mattered," complimented Kulkarni. However, while India must celebrate this rare overseas triumph in women's , it must be remembered that England have been without their new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is suffering from a left groin injury, for the last two T20Is. "England, meanwhile, are navigating a transition and are missing a couple of senior players. That said, we must keep our foot on the pedal and continue performing at our peak to keep the wins coming," Kulkarni said. The 65-year-old also pointed out the zone where India still need to pull up their socks. "One area that still needs attention is our running between the wickets—turning ones into twos, and keeping the scoreboard ticking with smart singles," felt the former leg-spinning allrounder, who played 19 Tests and 27 T20Is between 1976-91.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
IWL to start earlier to accomodate prep for Women's Asia Cup
CHENNAI: In a first, the Indian U20 women's national team will take part in the 2025-26 Indian Women's League (IWL) as part of a roadmap planned by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday for next year's AFC Asian Cup. Last week, the Blue Tigresses secured qualification to the tournament by beating Thailand 2-1 in a Qualifier match. The Women's Asian Cup is set to begin in March 1, 2026 in Australia. Eight teams will play 14 matches each, from September to January next year. The earlier than usual scheduling would allow for ample preparation time in the lead-up to the Asian Cup next year. The 2024-25 edition started from January and concluded on April. In addition, the Blue Tigresses will undergo 83 days of preparation camps, conducted in three phases. This will include 10-12 international friendlies and five to seven matches with domestic teams. To effectively manage this calendar, the AIFF will engage with all IWL club owners to seek their support and cooperation in releasing players for the camps as and when required for the national interest.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Why is CAF investigating Algeria at WAFCON 2024?
In a clash between North African rivals, Tunisia and Algeria played out a goalless draw at the Père Jégo Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday. Tunisia, reeling from a heavy 0-3 defeat to Nigeria in its opener, showed greater attacking intent throughout the match. Algeria, buoyed by a narrow win over Botswana in its first game, remained defensively compact to preserve a point. However, the result has been placed under review as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has launched an investigation into alleged misconduct by the Algerian women's team. What is the controversy surrounding the Algerian women's team? CAF has initiated a probe into the conduct of the Algerian team during the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, citing possible breaches of its statutes and regulations. In a brief official statement, CAF said the investigation was related to incidents involving host nation Morocco but did not disclose specifics. 'No further comments will be made until the investigation process is concluded,' it added. How is Algeria involved in the WAFCON controversy? According to media reports from Rabat, Algeria has adopted a 'soft boycott' of the tournament hosted by Morocco for a second consecutive edition. The Algerian Football Federation reportedly omitted Morocco from its official communications, and the team did not participate in the pre-tournament group photograph involving all teams. Impact on the points table As things stand, Algeria is second in the group with four points and remains unbeaten, with a decisive clash against Nigeria up next. Tunisia, meanwhile, sits third with one point and must beat Botswana to stay in contention for a historic first-ever WAFCON quarterfinal appearance. Related Topics WAFCON
