Banyana Banyana, the African champions, began their COSAFA Women’s
Championship campaign with a 4-3 loss to Malawi on Wednesday. Coach
Desiree Ellis was without the majority of her 2023 FIFA World Cup squad,
and as a result, called up a number of Hollywoodbets Super League players,
many of whom made their national team debuts.
Banyana found themselves 2-1 down in the first half after Thubelihle
Shamase saw her goal cancelled out by Leticia Chinyamula and Tabitha
Chawinga. The Malawians extended their lead in the second half with
Chawinga netting two more goals to complete her hat-trick. Khensani Nkuna
and Sphumelele Shamase pulled two goals back for Banyana in the final 12
minutes, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory as Malawi held on for the
three points.
Banyana will have another chance to get their first win of the tournament
on Saturday against Madagascar at the Dobsonville Stadium, with the match
kicking off at 12h00.
