‘We must play with our hearts’ - Andile Dlamini

“We don’t panic. That helps us when we are under pressure. We know that if we get flustered, that’s when we make mistakes.” - Jermaine Seoposenwe

Telford Vice / Oujda

A beautiful noise bloomed in the tunnel at Honneur Stadium in Oujda just less than an hour before the 5pm kick-off in Banyana Banyana’s women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) opener against Ghana on Monday.

The joy rose upward, outward and onward into heavy, motionless air heated to 36 degrees Celsius. The sun was slowly sinking behind the main stand, but the entire pitch was still trapped in punishing sunlight. Maybe 1,000 of the 19,000 seats were in shade. Not a single spectator was in sight.

The music kept coming, as did the musicians. Banyana, resplendent in head-to-toe South African gold, sang and danced onto the field for their warm-up. As they always do. But this time as champions, and it showed. There was no swagger in their step, but plenty of confidence, strength and grace.

It’s us. We’re here. Know that. And, if you’re our opponents, be ready.

The Ghanians seemed to understand. They snuck unobtrusively, neither singing nor dancing, onto their half of the pitch.

Behind Banyana lay an arduous journey of more than 24 hours. Done was the preparation, the disputes with the suits. As was getting used to the tiny shared hotel rooms, the makeshift ice baths alongside the hotel pool, the unfamiliar food — the squad came equipped with their own Black Cat, Tabasco, Aromat, and biltong — and the lack of shared language.

Not long now, and Bouchra Karboubi, the Moroccan referee, would blow her whistle. Until then, in this liminal time and space, all things seemed possible.

Victory over a team ranked a dozen places below them? Surely. A quarterfinal at the same venue for topping Group C? Not out of the question. Another title to go with the groundbreaking 2022 triumph? Why not.

Defeat? Why would you want to think about that?

Banyana didn’t lose, of course. They proved their superiority and now they are another win away from the quarterfinals. But first they had to withstand a fearsome opening period as the bigger, more physical west Africans shoved them around the park. The champions could do little more than hang on as attack after attack flowed through or past them.

Then, in the 28th minute, Linda Mothlalo converted a penalty after fellow midfielder Noxolo Cesane — who played her 50th international — was fouled just inside the box by Grace Asantewaa, still another midfielder.

Mothlalo struck the ball smoothly to evade Cynthia Konlan — who took a step left — and find the bottom righthand corner of the net.

Six minutes later forward Jermaine Seoposenwe latched onto Lebohang Ramalepe’s incisive pass from the right side and hammered home with a powerful strike.

And that was where Ghana’s significant challenge all but ended. They kept running at their more fancied opposition, spearheaded by the imposing, top-knotted figure of forward Doris Broaduwaa. But the daylight between the teams continued to widen.

When Karboubi blew for fulltime all the players were physically spent. If you didn’t know the score you wouldn’t have been able to tell winners from losers. That said, the margin between the teams was clear.

Even so, the dozen degrees of difference that cover the players in the 12 squads at this tournament would probably span a goalkeeper’s glove. Gloves like Andile Dlamini wore on Monday. And which have been on either her or Kaylin Swart’s hands in four of Banyana’s six previous games this year.

That’s a change from the 2023 World Cup, when Swart started and finished all four of Banyana’s games while Dlamini sat on the bench.

On Monday, Dlamini was called into action five times, and her crossbar was rattled from long range by forward Alice Kusi in the 60th and off the head of midfielder Evelyn Badu in the 81st. But, with Swart watching from the dugout, the sheet stayed clean.

“I’m happy that we collected three points, and that we played for each other in the second half,” Dlamini told Times Live Premium. “I loved the willingness and the hard work.

“We must play with our hearts. We all put in the effort. I’m here to do my job, and my teammates are there to do theirs. When everyone is together, everyone achieves. Together we are one — there’s no individual brilliance here.”

Ellis’ World Cup sidelining of Dlamini — so often the hero for Mamelodi Sundowns in their continental exploits in the Women’s Caf Champions League and the winning goalkeeper of the tournament in 2023 — was doubly strange as it came just after Banyana Ba Style lifted that trophy.

The preference for Swart in Australasia was the most controversial choice made by Ellis in an otherwise stellar campaign that solidified her status as Banyana’s most successful coach as they became the first South African senior team to reach the second round of a World Cup.

Monday's wasn’t the perfect Banyana performance, but perhaps its most positive aspect was that there was no evidence of panic.

“We really don’t,” Seoposenwe agreed. “That helps us when we are under pressure. We know that if we get flustered, that’s when we make mistakes.”

Another display like that against Tanzania in Oujda on Friday would do nicely. Doubtless it will be preceded by a beautiful noise.

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