Majiya Strike Decides WAFCON Warm-Up Against Algeria
Banyana Banyana defeated Algeria 1-0 at Princess Magogo Stadium on Friday, thanks to a stunning 36th-minute strike from Nthabiseng Majiya, with the friendly serving as a vital warm-up for the upcoming July WAFCON tournament in Morocco.
The two sides will meet again at King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday.
These fixtures form part of both teams’ preparations for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which will take place in Morocco in July.
The match in KwaMashu also marked a milestone for defender Bambanani Mbane, who made her 100th appearance for Banyana Banyana and was honoured with the captaincy, despite regular skipper Refiloe Jane being in the starting line-up.
This was the fourth meeting between the two nations, with Banyana having won three and drawn one of their previous encounters. All prior meetings took place at WAFCON tournaments, including a 1–1 draw in the 2022 edition.
Algeria fielded a strong side featuring players from top European clubs such as West Ham, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Lens, and Trabzonspor.
Banyana nearly capitalised on an early error when Melissa Bethi’s back pass was intercepted by Majiya, but goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi managed to clear the danger.
The hosts threatened again when Lebohang Ramalepe struck the post, with the rebound falling to Linda Motlhalo, whose effort was saved as Algeria survived the scare.
In the 23rd minute, Algeria created a chance of their own when Inès Khiri timed her run well and caught Andile Dlamini off her line, but her attempt lacked precision.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when Jane set up Majiya, who curled a superb strike into the net from the edge of the box to give Banyana the lead.
Hildah Magaia, who scored twice in the 2022 WAFCON final, was later presented with a good opportunity following a defensive lapse, but her effort was poorly directed and went straight to N’Gazi.
In the second half, with Majiya substituted, the Deportivo La Coruña striker Magaia took on a more advanced role but fired wide on two occasions.
