5 November 2024 – Her youthful charges may have lost their bid for the COSAFA Women’s Championship in penalty shootout heartbreak at the weekend, but coach Maud Khumalo is excited about her players’ achievement in the tournament and what lies in store for them in the future.
Khumalo’s youthful side lost to Zambia 3-4 on penalties in the final of the regional tournament at Isaac Wolfson Stadium in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on Saturday afternoon, but the result has not dampened the coach’s enthusiasm and optimistic outlook.
“It was a great, great experience in Gqeberha. Tournaments like these bring value, they enable coaches and players to gain more experience, and to get used to the different levels of the game,” she said. “The teams and the countries we played against, you could see that they are building, and they’re learning a lot.
“Some countries, you could see, they are already playing at a certain level. So, I think that these kinds of tournaments bring the best out of the national teams and women’s football. It’s a tournament that needs to be taken seriously. We need to make sure that when we talk to the players, we tell them that this is where everything starts. This is where everything starts, and it must not be taken for granted.”
The Sasol-sponsored South Africans breezed through the group stages of the COSAFA Women’s Championship, scoring 12 goals (1-0 vs Namibia, 3-0 vs Eswatini and 8-1 vs Seychelles) and only conceding one (against Seychelles). They then beat Mozambique 4-1 on penalties in the semifinals before losing to Zambia in the final.
Khumalo said several players put their hands up during the tournament and she expects them to go far in their football careers. While she has a soft spot for the whole group she had in Gqeberha, she gave special mention to teenager Nobahle Mdelwa, COSAFA Player of the Tournament Isabella Alexa Ludwig, Goalkeeper of the Tournament Jessica Williams, captain Thalea Smidt, Kesha Hendricks and Asanda Hadebe among others.
