Soccer
By The Numbers: Banyana Banyana Victorious on Matchday 1
South Africa beat Ghana 2-0 on Matchday 1 at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to kick off the defence of their title in style.
Two quickfire goals in the first half, six minutes apart, were enough for the defending champions to secure the three points and get the girls rolling in the tournament. The result leaves them top of Group C, after Mali beat Tanzania 1-0 in the same group later in the evening. By the Numbers is a statistical review of the matchday action.
Momentum
The result also means that Banyana continue their impressive record at the tournament. Not only do they come into this tournament as defending champions, but they also carry the dual burden of being one of the favourites. You have to go back to 2016 for the last time they were beaten in regulation time in a game at the tournament, when they lost the 3rd place playoff to the very same Ghana.
3 – WAFCON tournaments played by Banyana since 2016
12 – games played by Banyana since the end of the 2016 tournament
0 – defeats for Banyana in that time (W10 D2)
4 – Banyana’s best previous unbeaten run (in the year 2000)
Team focus: Banyana clinical
It wasn’t a perfect performance overall, with Ghana starting as the better side in the opening 20 minutes, and scaring Banyana late in the same period in the second half. But what Banyana did in the middle of those periods decided the game. They absorbed the mounting early pressure well and took their chances when they got them. The two goals came six minutes apart and seemed to suck the life out of the Ghanaians for a while. It was only in the second half that Ghana came back to life, but they were not as clinical as Banyana had been in the first. In the end, that proved to be the difference – Banyana took their chances when they needed to. Ghana didn’t, and the shooting stats in either half show this:
9 – shots by Ghana in the second half
2 – shots on target by Ghana in the 2nd half
22% – shooting accuracy for Ghana in the 2nd half
2 – times Ghana hit the woodwork in the 2nd half
Compared to Banyana’s first half efficiency:
4 – shots by Banyana in the first half
2 – shots on target by Banyana in the first half
50% – shooting accuracy for Banyana in the first half
Player focus:
Thanks to some good saves from Ayanda Dlamini and solid defending from the backline, Banyana have now kept a fourth clean sheet in five WAFCON games. There were many standout performances from Dlamini (who saved all five of the shots on target for Ghana), Linda Motlhalo (who scored the opening goal) and Jermaine Seoposenwe (a goal and three shots on target). But in the end, it was Bambanani Mbane who was named Player of the Match at the end of the game, after a controlled performance from the backline.
68 – touches for Mbane in this game (1st among all players on the field)
47 – passes for Mbane in this game (joint-1st among all players on the field)
13 – clearances for Mbane in this game (1st among all players on the field)
Next up for Banyana is Tanzania on Friday night, a team that is ranked 21 places below them in 23rd on the continent. It should be a regulation win for them come Thursday, but anything can happen on a football field.