Banyanya Banyanya’s fate in qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup knockout stage is now in their own hands. This comes after Sweden’s 5-0 win over Italy.
Le Azzure learned a football lesson as Sweden ran riot at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The Blågult gained the lead when center-back Amanda Ilestedt towered over Italy’s defense to head home from a Jonna Andersson corner.
Five minutes later, Italy were found wanting from another corner kick as FC Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfö got the second from point-blank range. Rolfö has not looked back since scoring the winning goal in the 2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. She now has two goals in this World Cup.
It was goal number three for Sweden in the space of only seven minutes. Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius fired past Francesca Durante in added time.
The Swedes picked up where they left off in the first half as Jonna Andersson combined with Amanda Ilestedt from a corner again for a fourth goal at 50 minutes. Rebecka Blomqvist added the icing on the cake at the end as she made it 5-0 to Sweden.
Can South Africa qualify?
As it stands, the Blågult are heading to the knockout stages of the with six points from two games.
The battle for qualification in Group G remains between Italy, South Africa, and Argentina. It is the Banynya Banyanya that will be rejoicing the most at Sweden’s decimation of Italy. They can now decide their own destiny.
All South Africa has to do is come out victorious against Italy on Wednesday at Westpac Stadium. That would put them four points ahead of Le Azzure on three points. Their only worry would be Argentina producing an upset against Sweden, which would then require South Africa to win by a convincing scoreline.
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However, looking at Sweden’s current form, Banyanya Banyanya will most likely just need to grab a victory against a shell-shocked Italy side. That is easier said than done, as the African champions will need to produce a near-perfect performance for that to become a reality.
