While leading by two goals against Argentina during the second match of the Women’s World Cup in Group G, South Africa was caught up and eventually conceded a 2-2 draw. A missed opportunity for the Bayana Bayana, who now find themselves in a difficult position in the competition.
After suffering a defeat to Sweden (1-2) last Sunday in their opening match of the Women’s World Cup, South Africa came close to bouncing back on Friday night against Argentina. In their second match of Group G, the Bayana Bayana started well and looked sharp for the first 70 minutes. Linda Motlhalo opened the scoring in the 30th minute with an assist from Thembi Kgatlana. Kgatlana then extended the lead for the African team just after the hour mark (2-0, 66th minute).
The reigning African champions seemed to be heading for their first victory in the tournament, but they lacked concentration. In a highly contested and fast-paced match, Argentina continued to apply pressure and managed to equalize within thirteen minutes, first through Sophia Braun (74th minute) and then through Romina Nunez (79th minute). The game ended in a 2-2 draw, leaving the South Africans with a feeling of regret.
With this draw, both teams, sitting 3rd and 4th in Group G with one point each, still have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage. To advance to the next round, South Africa must now defeat Italy in their third group stage match on the following Wednesday.
