In four matches the South African Women’s U17 National Team (Bantwana), scored a total of 23 goals to lift the 2022 COSAFA Women’s U17 Championship that ended in Malawi on Sunday (11 December 2022).
They conceded only four goals.
Bantwana defeated defending champions Zambia in a thrill-a-minute and end to end encounter in the final played at the Lilongwe Stadium.
The seven-goal spectacle was led by South Africa with a goal in the first minute before Zambia equalised and took the lead.
But with their never-say-die attitude, Delisiwe Mbatha’s troops restored parity, but again Zambia shot to the front in the 50th minute.
Sixteen minutes later it was even Stevens and with six minutes left on the clock South Africa found the winner to dethrone the champions.
“Firstly, I would like to thank God, my family, the South African Football Association, SASCOC, the Under-17 ladies technical team and the players. The tournament was great, starting with the preparations, our travel to Malawi and our stay in Malawi. It was great and awesome,” Mbatha told SAFA.net
“We learnt a lot as individuals and as a group. The girls were so amazing. They were very inquisitive, they listened attentively and they followed the instructions very well. We always encouraged them to add a bit of their own creativity. It was a wonderful group to work with. The experience I got from the tournament and all the lessons I learnt [were very important]. I learnt a lot from this tournament, from planning, communication, transparency and working with every member of the technical team. “
En route to being champions, South Africa opened their account with a resounding 4-1 win over Malawi in Group A. As if that was not enough, they proved in the second match that the result was not a fluke as they walloped Namibia 12-0, before brushing Botswana aside in a comfortable 3-0 success.
The cherry on top was the battle in the final where they had to dig deep against a strong and stubborn Zambia – but Bantwana eventually triumphed 4-3 after twice coming from behind.
With the wonderful display in Malawi, Mbatha believes the future is bright for these youngsters who were tasting international football for the first time.
“It was wonderful to learn from this experience. I’m sure the girls are happy right now and they are looking forward to a lot of positive things in their careers. We’ve had a lot of positive stuff in our camp. So, we really appreciated the opportunity. It was a wonderful, wonderful event,” said Mbatha.
The team is back in the country and will be looking forward to a well-deserved rest after pulling off what many thought was mission impossible.
SOUTH AFRICA’S 2022 COSAFA WOMEN’S U17 RESULTS:
| POOL STAGES: | ||
| Date | Group | Results |
| 01 Dec 22 | A | Malawi 1-4 South Africa |
| 03 Dec 22 | A | Namibia 0-12 South Africa |
| SEMIFINALS: | ||
| 08 Dec 22 | South Africa 3-0 Botswana | |
| FINAL: | ||
| 11 Dec 22 | Zambia 3-4 South Africa |
RESULTS IN THE FINAL:
Zambia 3 (Lucy Kajiya 16′ Jessy Zulu 21′ Zangose Zulu 50′)
South Africa 4 (Sinazo Ntshota 1′ 66′ Nobahle Mdelwa 30′ Andrielle Mibe 84)
By Matlhomola Morake
