25 October 2024 – Banyana Banyana were beaten 5-0 by Denmark in an international friendly match played at Aalborgh Stadium on Friday night.
A game of two different halves saw the African champions compete gamely against the Red and White and hold their own defensively as the Danish were on the attack from the first whistle.
But things changed in the second half as the Sasol-sponsored South African Senior Women’s National Team crumbled. Denmark’s halftime substitution and the wet and cold conditions saw the South Africans lose concentration and subsequently concede the first of three goals which were scored in less than 10 minutes.
Isabella Obaze opened the scoring for the home side in the 51st minute of the match, while Signe Brunn secured a brace from the bench in the 55th and 56th minutes respectively.
Amalie Vangsgaard scored in the 63rd minutes and the final blow and fifth of the night came from Katherine Kuhl, who netted in the 74th minute.
Speaking to www.safa.net, Head Coach Dr Desiree Ellis was proud of her players and detailed the importance of an experience like this one.
“We had a plan and unfortunately it broke down in the second half. We did very well in the first half, our defense stayed compact, the players took the blows dealt to them by Denmark and we tried to go forward a little,” said Dr Ellis.
“The second half was rather tough for the players, and to keep up with a team ranked 12th in the world was always going to be a challenge. But I believe the players gave their all today, we made substitutions which we hoped would be effective, but the strength of the Danish showed.
“We will now go back and watch the match again, see where we faulted the most and prepare for our match against England. Remember we are on a journey to WAFCON, and we are happy that we are facing the challenges we will come across in 2025. So, these matches are to prepare our players for 2025.
“I would also like to congratulate Kholoso Biyana on her 50th cap tonight, this is a huge milestone for her, and we hope she will continue riding this journey with us.”
Banyana Banyana will now turn their attention to their second match in Europe. They will travel to Coventry, England, tomorrow.
This match will be played on Tuesday, 29 October 2024.
