Team SA’s under-17 girls footballers start Region V Games with 4-1 victory over hosts Malawi
Team SA’s Under-17 Girls hit four past Malawi
By GARY LEMKE in Lilongwe
Team SA’s under-17 girls footballers are up and running at the Region V Games, which for them doubles as qualifiers for the Cosafa Under-17 Championship, when they romped to a 4-1 victory over hosts Malawi at the Bingu National Stadium on Thursday.
Two goals from Andrielle Mibe (15th and 38th mins) and strikes from Nobahle Mdelwa (42nd min) and substitute Khutso Mogano (85th min) saw Team SA wrap up a comfortable win after leading 3-0 at half-time. In addition, Mdelwa hit the crossbar with a 16th-minute penalty after Sinazo Ntshota was brought down in the area. Defender Portia Masilela was named player of the match.
Much of the game was played in the rain, with the heavens opening virtually as the players left the tunnel to take their places for the national anthems. In fact, there was also lightning around the ground and officials were frantically monitoring mobile apps as they came close to pulling the players off for safety reasons. Those apps suggested that the lightning came within 5km of the stadium, although there was plenty of movement overhead.
The floodlights in the 41 000-seater stadium were on before the start of the 3.30pm kick-off, but South Africa were unfazed by the elements. Although goalkeeper Casey Gordon, from JVW FC, was called into action early, she coped admirably with what came her way. It could have been an awkward afternoon for her with a wet ball and skidding pitch, but she was solid when called upon between the sticks.
Further up the park Mibe and Ntshota were doing good work in the midfield, but when the first big chance of the game came, Mibe made no mistake. She immediately raced to the corner flag and did a passable ’Ronaldo Siu!’, before a minute later SA were awarded their penalty.
Mibe got a chance to perform another Siu later in the half when she again finished off a move and by half-time the game was finished as a contest. Although Malawi pulled one back in the 66th minute, Mogano sealed the deal and sent some home supporters heading for the exits with five minutes remaining.
Team SA coach Victoria Mbatha expressed her delight after banking the points. “I’m very happy and the girls are too. Mostly, I’m pleased how the girls absorbed the instructions that they were given and how they passed them on within the group and motivated one another.
“This win means we can look forward to the next game with confidence. Now the girls need a bit of recovery and we’ll have a light training session tomorrow (Friday). We will work on a few concentration errors that I saw creep into their game, especially in the second half,” Mbatha added.
Photo: Player of the Match Portia Masilela by ROGER SEDRES
Source: Team SA
Team SA’s Under-17 Girls hit four past Malawi
By GARY LEMKE in Lilongwe
Team SA’s under-17 girls footballers are up and running at the Region V Games, which for them doubles as qualifiers for the Cosafa Under-17 Championship, when they romped to a 4-1 victory over hosts Malawi at the Bingu National Stadium on Thursday.
Two goals from Andrielle Mibe (15th and 38th mins) and strikes from Nobahle Mdelwa (42nd min) and substitute Khutso Mogano (85th min) saw Team SA wrap up a comfortable win after leading 3-0 at half-time. In addition, Mdelwa hit the crossbar with a 16th-minute penalty after Sinazo Ntshota was brought down in the area. Defender Portia Masilela was named player of the match.
Much of the game was played in the rain, with the heavens opening virtually as the players left the tunnel to take their places for the national anthems. In fact, there was also lightning around the ground and officials were frantically monitoring mobile apps as they came close to pulling the players off for safety reasons. Those apps suggested that the lightning came within 5km of the stadium, although there was plenty of movement overhead.
The floodlights in the 41 000-seater stadium were on before the start of the 3.30pm kick-off, but South Africa were unfazed by the elements. Although goalkeeper Casey Gordon, from JVW FC, was called into action early, she coped admirably with what came her way. It could have been an awkward afternoon for her with a wet ball and skidding pitch, but she was solid when called upon between the sticks.
Further up the park Mibe and Ntshota were doing good work in the midfield, but when the first big chance of the game came, Mibe made no mistake. She immediately raced to the corner flag and did a passable ’Ronaldo Siu!’, before a minute later SA were awarded their penalty.
Mibe got a chance to perform another Siu later in the half when she again finished off a move and by half-time the game was finished as a contest. Although Malawi pulled one back in the 66th minute, Mogano sealed the deal and sent some home supporters heading for the exits with five minutes remaining.
Team SA coach Victoria Mbatha expressed her delight after banking the points. “I’m very happy and the girls are too. Mostly, I’m pleased how the girls absorbed the instructions that they were given and how they passed them on within the group and motivated one another.
“This win means we can look forward to the next game with confidence. Now the girls need a bit of recovery and we’ll have a light training session tomorrow (Friday). We will work on a few concentration errors that I saw creep into their game, especially in the second half,” Mbatha added.
Photo: Player of the Match Portia Masilela by ROGER SEDRES
Source: Team SA
