Kgatlana reveals she lost THREE family members recently

Banyana Banyana captain Thembi Kgatlana has revealed that she lost three of her family members over the past few weeks.

The 27-year-old scored the crucial winner to see South Africa through to the last 16 of the Fifa Women’s World Cup on Wednesday. Speaking after the game, Kgatlana mentioned that the team has faced criticism during their World Cup campaign, and from her side, she couldn’t bury her loved ones as she was committed to helping her country in the tournament.

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KGATLANA SCORED INJURY WINNER TO HELP BANYANA INTO THE NEXT ROUND

So emotional. We got alot of criticism, but this is football. I lost some 3 family members over the past weeks and I chose to stay with the girls,” Kgatlana said after Banyana’ 3-2 win over Italy in their final group match.

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A win for Banyana sees them through to the next round for the first time in their history.

Kgatlana produced a performance to remember against Italy and when it looked like Banyana were down and out, she scored an injury time winner to deny the Italians a passage to the round of 16.

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With 11 minutes added, Banyana pushed again and were finally rewarded in the 92nd minute.

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Hilda Magaia dazzled past two Italian defenders before providing a pass towards Kgatlana, who made no mistake.

Banyana will now take on Group E winners Netherlands on Sunday.