Banyana Banyana's Late Escape in WAFCON Drama

South Africa’s title defence is still breathing. Barely.

Two goals down to Ivory Coast and staring at the exit door in Casablanca, Banyana Banyana dragged themselves back from the brink to salvage a 2-2 draw and keep their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign alive by the thinnest of margins.

It took nerve. It took patience. It took every last second.

The Ivorians had South Africa on the ropes, cruising at 2-0 and in control of Group B’s narrative. Banyana, flat in the first half and punished for it, looked set for a second straight defeat and an early flight home from Morocco.

Then the response came.

Thembi Kgatlana, so often the spark when South Africa need one, struck in the second half to haul Desiree Ellis’s side back into the contest. One goal changed the mood. Suddenly, Banyana were running harder, pressing higher, asking questions.

The clock kept draining away. Ivory Coast dropped deeper, protecting what looked like a decisive result in the group. South Africa pushed. Crosses flew in, shots were blocked, time slipped.

The pressure finally broke them.

With seconds left, Hildah Magaia found the equaliser that turned despair into a roar of defiance. From 2-0 down to 2-2 at the death, Banyana had refused to let their tournament end without a fight.

The draw gives South Africa their first point of the competition after two Group B matches. It is not what the reigning champions would have imagined when they arrived in Morocco, but it is something to cling to in a group that has suddenly tilted away from them.

Ivory Coast move three points clear of Banyana, while Tanzania, also on three points, now hold their fate in their own hands. A Tanzanian win over Burkina Faso in Casablanca this evening will secure their place in the quarterfinals and heap even more pressure on South Africa.

Banyana’s final group game comes against Burkina Faso on Tuesday. They must win. Even then, their future will depend on results elsewhere.

For now, though, they still have a future. And after the way this night in Casablanca was heading, that in itself feels like a minor victory in a campaign that refuses to settle into a smooth defence of their crown.