MARTY MELVILLE/ AFP
Thembi Kgatlana scored a last-gasp winner to present South Africa their first ever Women’s World Cup win with a 3-2 victory over Italy that despatched them by means of to the final 16 of the event.
Striker Kgatlana struck two minutes into stoppage time to arrange a conflict with the Netherlands in Sydney on Sunday and broke the hearts of the Italians, who had solely wanted a draw to progress.
Italy had appeared to salvage the draw they wanted when Arianna Caruso scored from a nook within the 74th minute however have been left to rue what may have been after a collection of late missed possibilities.
“They fought like warriors,” stated an emotional coach Desiree Ellis, who was a founding member of the South Africa girls’s facet in 1993.
“They fought like the heroines that we know that they are. They fought to be historically remembered and they’ve made history not just getting our first win, but going to the round of 16 and that is freaking amazing.”
The Italians had opened the scoring when Karabo Dhlamini tripped Italy ahead Chiara Beccari simply contained in the field within the tenth minute and Caruso put the penalty into the underside left nook of the online.
South Africa equalised within the thirty second minute by means of an personal objective from Benedetta Orsi, who didn’t test the place goalkeeper Francesca Durante was earlier than making a again cross.
Banyana Banyana went forward for the primary time within the 67th minute when Kgatlana’s neat inside cross discovered Hildah Magaia free behind the defensive position and the ahead swept it into the online.
Caruso grabbed her second of the match seven minutes later from a nook when the ball caught her hip in a goalmouth scramble and cannoned into the underside proper nook of the online.
It seemed as if Italy may dangle on for the attract a frantic finale however Magaia’s cross discovered Kgatlana within the field and the striker smashed the ball into the online to safe second place within the group behind Sweden.
