Banyana Banyana Fight Back to Draw with Ivory Coast at WAFCON

South Africa are still breathing at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Barely.

Two goals down to Ivory Coast and staring at the exit door in Casablanca, Banyana Banyana dragged themselves back from the brink, salvaging a 2-2 draw that owed everything to stubbornness, belief, and a finish laced with pure drama.

Second Half Comeback

The comeback belonged to the second half. Thembi Kgatlana, as so often, lit the fuse, pulling one back to tilt the mood and give South Africa a lifeline. The tension grew, the clock bled away, and still they chased.

Then came Hildah Magaia.

Seconds remained when Magaia struck the equaliser, a last-gasp goal that kept South Africa’s tournament alive and turned what looked like a fatal defeat into a precious point. For a team that had been out on its feet, it felt like a small act of defiance against the inevitable.

It was Banyana’s first point of the campaign, but it comes late and under pressure. After two Group B matches, they sit three points behind Ivory Coast and remain stuck in a tight corner. The mathematics of survival are no longer in their hands.

Tanzania, also on three points, can seal a quarterfinal place with victory over Burkina Faso in the other Group B clash in Casablanca this evening. If that result goes against South Africa, the mountain grows steeper.

Banyana’s final group game, against Burkina Faso on Tuesday, now carries a sharp edge. The margin for error has disappeared. The fightback against Ivory Coast kept the dream alive; what happens next will decide whether it was the start of a revival or just a final, defiant roar.