First SA girls team to play in Danone Nations Cup final
The world finals will be played at the RCDE Stadium, home ground of La Liga outfit Espanyol.
South Africa will be making history by sending a girls team to compete in the Danone Nations Cup world finals in Barcelona, Spain, starting from October 10.
Rebonwe girls from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal’s Muzuvukile boys will be travelling to Europe to participate in the Danone Nations Cup world finals following their respective victories during the national finals in Reiger Park on June 15.
Rebonwe, which comprises of girls from a squatter camp in Ivory Park, were on the money for their qualification for the big stage following their win in the penalty shoot-out against Micheal Mkhwanazi, to whom they lost 2-1 during the round-robin round earlier in the day.
The shoot-out was used to separate the two sides after the final had ended in a one-all stalemate.
The boys who will be accompanying them, Muzuvukile Primary School from Enseleni, a rural area in Richards Bay, were easily the most clinical side, but not necessarily the best.
They were ruthless in front of goal, coasting through the round-robin phase before earning a hard fought win against a Patekile side from Eastern Cape who, for all their brilliance, had a rather bizarre approach to the final match – which ultimately cost them.
They dominated some exchanges against the more fancied Muzuvukile outfit, with their ball retention skills giving the eventual champions the run around, but most of their football was played in their own half and had a lot of unnecessary showboating.
Muzuvukile, on the other hand, used their possession productively and took every chance presented to them. The match could’ve gone either way, but, ultimately, it was the more clinical and better coached Muzuvukile side which qualified.
Nelsville Primary School, which could’ve made the final themselves on another given day, deserve mention for giving supporters and dignitaries their time’s worth with their exceptional brand of football. The Nelspruit school was in battle with Muzuvukile for a spot in the final during the round-robin phase, but a surprising 3-0 thumping at the hands of the KZN school sent Nelsville packing. They were a joy to watch.
The girls’ tournament was introduced for the first time this year, even though most schools do not have girls only teams and a pilot took place in Gauteng with approximately 40 schools registering.
Muzuvukile were always going to be the team to beat based on their exceptional performance in the provincial finals. Not only were they a strong team, but three of their players have been invited to attend trials at Mamelodi Sundowns.
They won all their league games to finish top of their log, making them the only team to win all of their matches leading to the final.
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