Kgatlana's sweet touch: Banyana's Olympic hopes sparkle in Congo rescue

Thembi Kgatlana emerged as Banyana Banyana's saviour, netting a vital second-half goal that ensured a 1-1 stalemate against DR Congo in Wednesday's first leg of the Olympic qualifier's second round, which took place at the iconic Stade des Martyrs.

South Africa, still reeling from a somewhat disappointing performance at the Cosafa Women's Cup, where they failed to progress beyond the group stages, found themselves trailing in the first half after a spectacular goal by Grace Mfwamba Balongo.

The resolve of Banyana to clinch a place at next year's Olympics in Paris is unmistakable, having last featured at the 2012 and 2016 Games.

With only two spots allocated to African nations, head coach Desiree Ellis faces a daunting task in transforming their Olympic aspirations into a tangible reality.

With the first leg of the second round done and dusted, there are potentially seven matches before they receive their golden ticket for the Olympics.

However, Ellis had to start the qualifying campaign with several injuries to star players, visa issues and university exams.

Remarkably, Banyana's young brigade rose to the occasion, demonstrating resilience and passion, even on foreign turf.

Banyana showed their intent with how they would approach the match, and a long-range ball from goalkeeper Kaylin Swart skied over several players and found the feet of Kgatlana. Without any hesitation, Kgatlana found her target and fired with a vicious strike, which floated inches over the bar.

Swart, who has been previously ridiculed during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup earlier this year, came to Banyana's rescue as her defence was caught napping. The ball slipped through a Banyana jersey, with Congo's Balongo snatching the ball, but her killer striker's