Women's World Cup: South Africa stuns Italy
After 1962, South Africa hadn't won a Women's World Cup since 1991. They had never achieved this before.
The Italians have been eliminated from the tournament following a 3-2 loss in the final to South Africa.
As soon as the outcome of the match has been decided, the Netherlands will play the winner of the match at the same time.
South Africa won their first match at the Women's World Cup after defeating Italy 3-2 in Wellington in the opening match. There had never been a victory like this in the history of the African nation. This victory by South Africa in the match marked a milestone in the tournament for the country, as it marked its progression to the next round. The first time in the history of the team, the team broke through into the last 16 of the competitions was the first time a team had ever achieved this feat.
With a goal scored in the 92nd minute, South Africa were able to secure the victory for the first time in this tournament. The 92nd minute was the crucial moment when Arianna Caruso was able to equalize for South Africa in the match with a header that she scored with her head. If South Africa hadn't exerted a determined effort to prevent Italy from progressing to the next round after their performance in the first leg, there was no doubt that the draw would have assured Italy a place in the knockout stages if that effort had not been made.
South African football has made significant progress since its debut at the World Cup a few years back, when it was a country that was developing all across the board, including its football team. This team is now one of the 16 teams left in the competition and they are in the last 16. This was the first time in this tournament that they were unable to win any of their three games in their group, as well as any of their matches overall, at the same time.
It was Italy who went ahead within the first minute of the game, a foul was committed within the penalty area, putting them in the lead as soon as the game started. This incident led to the Italian team being awarded a penalty kick as a result of the incident as a result of this. The match remained very evenly balanced for the remainder of the game and remained such for the majority of the rest of the game until South Africa equalized via an own goal by Benedetta Orsi which occurred in the 83rd minute of the game.
It was Desiree Ellis' team that took the lead in the 26th minute when Hildah Magaia scored an excellent goal assisted by Thembi Kgatlana that gave them a lead. After the goal was scored, her team led 1-0 at half-time as a result of this score. The South African team needed a goal from the Italian team in order to achieve this historic victory, which they achieved with the help of a corner goal. The outcome was always going to be evident, as Magaia-Kgatlana's goal was decisive in securing the victory.
Germany was able to achieve a good result in this game, meaning that they will have a chance to play the Netherlands in the last 32 on Sunday. It was a moment of great emotion for South African players to hear the last whistle blow following the game, knowing that their nation's history had been written and that their nation had reached the final for the first time in history.