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The sloppy Swedish team left it late before eventually breaking South African women’s hearts with a goal in the final minute. The Scandinavians trailed an hour into the match but found a late comeback to eventually claim a deserved, but very lucky 2-1 victory.
- Banyana Banyana took a shocking lead at the start of the second half against the run of play.
- Sweden rallied past the hour mark with their star forward Rolfo leading the way with an equaliser.
- Stubborn resistance from Banyana Banyana nearly gave them a point. The Swedes had other plans and stole the win at the death.
Banyana Banyana Player Ratings: Swart’s heroics on goal were not enough
Contents
GK Kaylin Swart 8/10 – The busy goalkeeper made a series of vital saves and interceptions in this match. She was excellent and not at fault for the 2 goals conceded.
DF Lebohang Ramalepe 5/10 – Struggled. Never protected her zone well. Also, never provided any attacking support.
DF Bongeka Gamede 7/10 – Solid all game. Produced 14 ball interceptions and 3 successful sliding tackles. Got tired late on and this proved costly.
DF Bambanani Mbane 6/10 – Played well enough but had issues dealing with the taller and stronger Swedish ladies. Her ball distribution wasn’t great either.
DF Sibulele Holweni 6/10 – The full-back made some promising runs early in the second half. Defensively she was fast enough to keep Rolfo quiet for an hour. Late on her energy levels dropped though.
MF Hildah Magaia 7/10 – Scored the opening goal of the match right after the interval. Played well and was the main ball handler in the middle of the park.
MF Refiloe Jane 4/10 – The captain disappointed. Needed to be much better on the ball. Also, she kept losing players she was supposed to mark. Her mistake brought the crucial 2nd goal.
MF Linda Motlhlalo 5/10 – Did some aggressive solo runs but didn’t have much impact overall. Wasn’t involved defensively either.
MF Kholosa Biyana 5/10 – Also, tried to do too much on her own. Kept running in traffic. Her crosses kept flying wayward too.
FW Jermaine Seoposenwe 5/10 – On her World Cup debut looked nervous. Didn’t use her blistering pace to her advantage. Most of her passes were backward.
FW Thembi Kgatlana 4/10 – Anonymous inside Sweden’s box for all the time she was on the pitch. Had very little impact. Touched the ball just 4 times during the entire first half.
Substitutes
FW Gabriela Salgado 6/10 – Brought more energy in attack off the bench. Had 3 shot attempts too but none of them was on target.
MF Mpaula Kgoale 4/10 – Came in to provide extra support defensively. Failed to do so with both goals conceded after her introduction.
Sweden Player Ratings: Ilestedt the late saviour
GK Zecira Musovic 7/10 – Despite being beaten at the start of the second half she was solid. Made 3 important saves at 1-1.
DF Jonna Andersson 7/10 – Carried major threat down the flank all match. Defensively neutralised the fast Seoposenwe too.
DF Magdalena Eriksson 6/10 – Made a mistake for the goal that was conceded. Apart from that played well enough. Dominated in the air.
DF Amanda Ilestedt 8/10 – Hugely commanding overall display from the centre-back. Completely neutralised South Africa’s main striker Kgatlana. Not just that but also scored the winning goal in the final minute.
DF Nathalie Bjorn 5/10 – Her crossing was wayward all match. Didn’t defend her zone well either.
MF Kosovare Asllani 6/10 – The captain was solid on the ball and distributed it well. She kept firing wide with her mid-range efforts though.
MF Filippa Angeldal 6/10 – Dominated the air duels in midfield. Played well defensively but had limited impact in the offence. Did her main duties well.
MF Johanna Kaneryd 7/10 – Caused lots of problems. Showed ability to beat players one-on-one. Also, linked up very well with Rolfo on several occasions.
FW Fridolina Rolfo 7/10 – Scored the important equaliser. Could have easily scored 1-2 more goals if not for some diving saves to deny her. Carried constant threat when on the ball.
FW Stina Blackstenius 5/10 – Struggled. Got isolated for too long. Never had a sniff at the goal.
FW Elin Rubensson 6/10 – Very confident on the ball. Her passing was excellent. Not much else was offered though. Very little impact offensively.
Substitutes
MF Hanna Bennisson 5/10 – Didn’t do well coming off the bench with 23 minutes left. Looked nervous.
MF Rebecka Blomqvist 6/10 – Also, entered the game on 67”. Created some late chances with her crosses. Forced a save from the keeper too.
MF Olivia Schough 5/10 – Little impact. Kept passing mainly backwards. Also, looked nervous.
The other 2 substitutes were made inside the final 15 minutes, so there was no time for those players to be ranked.
Player of the Match: Amanda Ilestedt
Sweden’s centre-back Amanda Ilestedt not only completely neutralised South Africa’s main centre forward but also went on to score the winner in the last minute. Ilestedt proved to be a true leader in this game.
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