CAPE TOWN – Banyana Banyana produced a spirited second-half comeback to salvage a dramatic 2-2 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in their second Group B match of the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Friday evening.
The result keeps South Africa’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive after they came into the encounter desperate for points following their 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in the tournament opener.
Head coach Desiree Ellis made four changes to the side, with Kaylin Swart replacing Andile Dlamini in goal, while Côte d’Ivoire arrived full of confidence after a convincing 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso.
The opening exchanges were cautious, with neither side creating clear-cut opportunities in the opening 15 minutes. However, the Ivorians struck first in the 18th minute after quickly transitioning from a South African corner. Grace Sery latched onto the counterattack and calmly finished to give her side a 1-0 lead.
South Africa struggled to recover and their problems worsened in the 35th minute. Once again, Sery was the danger woman, racing through on goal before expertly lifting the ball over the advancing Swart to complete her brace and double Côte d’Ivoire’s advantage.
Banyana’s best chance of the first half came just before the break, but Thembi Kgatlana’s effort was comfortably saved by the Ivorian goalkeeper as South Africa headed into halftime trailing 2-0.
Ellis’ charges emerged with renewed urgency after the restart, dominating possession and pushing Côte d’Ivoire deeper into their own half. Although their final pass often let them down, they continued to pile on the pressure.
Kgatlana finally gave South Africa hope in the 71st minute with a superb strike from outside the penalty area that flew into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The drama intensified in stoppage time when Hildah Magaia thought she had equalised, only for her effort to be ruled out for offside by VAR. Moments later, however, Magaia made no mistake, finding the back of the net in the 97th minute to complete a remarkable comeback and secure a valuable point for Banyana Banyana.
The 2-2 draw leaves South Africa with everything still to play for heading into their final Group B fixture as they continue their pursuit of a place in the knockout rounds.
