Bayana Bayana and Their Road to AFCON Glory

The Nigerian Women's national team has dominated the African scene. They've been the best for many years, and all through their domination, they've won 11 titles. However, other nations have been working hard to catch up with the team, and we've seen a few in the last couple of years, just like how drivers have been charging at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 events. 

The Super Falcons were one of the top contenders this year, given how good they've been in

the last couple of years and the competition generally. They were even paired with South Africa  in the group stages. Therefore, we were blessed with a matchup that saw South Africa mark their arrival in the competition. 

The competition showed how Bayana Bayana is one of the best teams on the African continent,  and even though they didn't have a smooth right to the competition, they were utterly dominant. 

We could tell they had a solid team, and the coach's plan was evident in how they played.

After winning the competition, they would be part of the team to make it to represent Africa at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. We expect a solid performance from the team, but before then, we want to look at their impressive journey to winning the AFCON Women's competition in 

2022.

The Group Stages

South Africa started their journey at the 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations tournament in a group that had Botswana, Burundi, and Nigeria. With the lineup, they were expected to finish the group second at least. So, their qualifying from the group wasn't a surprise. However, going 

through the group winning all three games was.

Their first match was against Nigeria, a team with a massive history in the competition. And they

were able to carve out the win. The first half was a close tie that didn't see many actions. And the game didn't change until Jermaine Seoposenwe scored the first goal and Hildah Tholakele Magaia followed suit. 

Both goals came within two minutes, stunning the Super Falcons. Although the Nigerians could  pull one back from Rasheedat Ajibade's late strike, it was too late to salvage anything. 

Therefore, South Africa's push for the title started. And they blazed through the remaining  games in the group stages with ease. 

The Knockout Rounds

Winning their opening three matches gave the team the confidence they needed to hope for a  victory. After they came out of the group, the team was paired against Tunisia, another top team on the continent. Therefore, it wouldn't be an easy match for Bayana Bayana even though they

were the favorites to win.

An early start helped the team as they took the lead in the 14th minute. It was another goal from Jermaine Seoposenwe. That stunning strike was enough to take the team to the next round,  where they will face Zambia. And again, they face a formidable team with a real chance of 

winning the competition.

It was a tight game from the start to the end. From the first minute, both teams have been

working on outsourcing the other, but to no fruition. South Africa couldn't break the Zambian's  defenses and vice versa. We didn't get a goal in the game until the 94th minute, when Linda  Motlhalo stepped up to take the penalty. 

She was calm under pressure and made sure she sent the team to the final for a chance to win  their first AFCON title. 

The Final

The final was set between Morocco and South Africa after the North African team fought a great  battle against the Super Falcons. Although many would claim they were lucky in the match, given that Nigerians had to play with only nine players for most of the game, they still had to do a lot to go through. 

With one game to go, it was in anyone's court, and both teams were ready to lay it bare for the win. 

As expected, we had a calm first half with very few talking points. We didn't get a goal in  that half. The second half also started slow, and we could see South Africa pushing hard for a win. 

In the 63rd minute, Bayana Bayana had a breakthrough when Jermaine Seoposenwe assisted  Hildah Magaia. 

A few minutes later, Hildah Magaia scored another beautiful goal to double the  team's lead. Even though Rosella Ayane pulled one back for Morocco, it was not enough to sway the result, and South Africa was crowned champions of Africa. 

Ramphosa's Promise for Equal Pay

Following Bayana Bayana's victory, South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the team and promised to raise their pay as high as their male counterpart. This is an excellent development for women's football, especially in Africa. We hope to see more of this moving forward.