Banyana Banyana return home after WAFCON heartbreak and Salgado injury shock
Banyana Banyana touched down in South Africa on Monday night following a tough run at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they finished in fourth place.
The team, who arrived as defending champions after their historic 2022 win, were unable to replicate their past success.
After losing 2-1 to Nigeria in the semi-finals, Banyana faced Ghana in the third-place play-off but fell short again, this time in a 4-3 penalty shootout.
The match against Nigeria was especially emotional, as star player Gabriela Salgado suffered a horrific leg injury, a clean break that left both teams in visible distress on the pitch.
“It’s unfortunate that Gabriela’s injury came at that time,” said head coach Desiree Ellis.
“If you saw the injury and what it looked like, I think emotionally it was very difficult. It affected a lot of the players… We tried to calm them down, but that’s not something you can do in two or three minutes.”
Ellis also reflected on the weight of being the team to beat.
“As the defending champions, we knew that every game we were going to play was going to be a cup final, and it was exactly like that,” she said.
“Sometimes when a team just does something better than you, you have to acknowledge that as well.”
Salgado arrived separately on Monday morning, accompanied by team manager Lauren Duncan.
