{"id":17894,"date":"2025-07-24T09:57:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=17894"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:11:44","slug":"ellis-blames-salgado-injury-for-banyana-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/ellis-blames-salgado-injury-for-banyana-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"WAFCON 2025: Ellis Blames Salgado Injury for Banyana&#8217;s Painful Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Banyana Banyana\u2019s hopes of defending their WAFCON crown came to a heartbreaking halt in Casablanca, following a distressing injury to star midfielder Gabriela Salgado during their 2-1 defeat to Nigeria on Tuesday night. The 27-year-old suffered a horrific leg break in the 83rd minute, just as the semi-final appeared headed for extra time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to SAFA\u2019s chief medical officer, Dr. Thulani Ngwenya, Salgado sustained fractures to both her tibia and fibula and was rushed to Mohamed VI University Hospital for immediate surgery, which was successfully performed the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-banyana-banyana-vs-nigeria-a-game-derailed-by-trauma\"><strong>Banyana Banyana vs Nigeria: A Game Derailed by Trauma<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The incident left players from both teams visibly shaken. Tears flowed, medics scrambled, and a long pause followed as Salgado received urgent attention. The game, locked at 1-1 at the time, never quite resumed with the same energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was clear from the reaction of the players how serious it was,\u201d said coach Desiree Ellis post-match. \u201cWe had to calm everyone down and try to get the focus back. But I think that moment disrupted everything for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just minutes later, the Super Falcons capitalised on Banyana\u2019s disarray. Michelle Alozie struck in stoppage time to send Nigeria into Saturday\u2019s final against hosts Morocco. For South Africa, the injury to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/banyanas-salgado-urges-team-to-rise-like-champions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salgado<\/a> marked the psychological turning point in what had been a closely contested encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-721118630\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-desiree-ellis-reflects-on-banyana-s-gallant-effort\"><strong>Desiree\u00a0Ellis Reflects on Banyana\u2019s Gallant Effort<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the loss, Ellis remained proud of her side. \u201cWe went toe to toe with Nigeria, and we had our chances,\u201d she noted, highlighting key moments missed by Jermaine Seoposenwe and Noxolo Cesane. \u201cAfter 120 minutes against Senegal in the quarters, we still looked strong. But we couldn\u2019t recover from what happened to Gabby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Banyana had made two changes from the quarter-final line-up, reintroducing Salgado and Sebolelo Holweni into midfield. Meanwhile, Nigeria stuck with their dominant starting eleven from the previous round\u2014an overseas-based side that had dismantled Zambia 5-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-penalty-drama-sets-up-a-thriller\"><strong>Penalty Drama Sets Up a Thriller<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Super Falcons broke the deadlock just before the break when Bambanani Mbane was penalised for a handball. Rasheedat Ajibade converted from the spot, handing Nigeria the lead at half-time. But Banyana responded in kind when Linda Motlhalo slotted home a penalty in the 60th minute after Hilda Magaia was brought down inside the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With both teams pushing for a winner, it looked destined for extra time\u2014until disaster struck. Salgado\u2019s injury derailed South Africa\u2019s rhythm and, ultimately, their title defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-4266940768\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-safa-president-backs-banyana-amid-setback\"><strong>Safa President Backs Banyana Amid Setback<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SAFA President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/match-fixing-sa-biggest-soccer-scandals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Danny Jordaan<\/a> lauded the team for their bravery under tough circumstances and offered his support to Salgado. \u201cWe\u2019re all behind her and hoping for a full recovery,\u201d Jordaan stated. \u201cBanyana showed great spirit and determination. They remain one of the strongest forces in African football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-one-more-battle-to-fight\"><strong>One More Battle to Fight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the dream of consecutive WAFCON titles is over, Banyana Banyana\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.co.za\/sport\/soccer\/local-soccer\/ellis-blames-salgado-injury-for-banyanas-wafcon-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tournament <\/a>isn\u2019t done yet. They\u2019ll meet Ghana\u2019s Black Queens in the third-place playoff on Friday evening. While the heartbreak from the Nigeria clash will linger, the team has a chance to finish on a high and dedicate their final performance to Salgado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, South Africa rallies behind one of its brightest talents, hoping her road to recovery is as swift and strong as the spirit she\u2019s shown throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wafcon-2025-nigeria-beat-banyana-to-reach-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WAFCON 2025: Nigeria Beat Banyana Banyana with Late Winner to Reach Final<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Banyana Banyana\u2019s hopes of defending their WAFCON crown came to a heartbreaking halt in Casablanca, following a distressing injury to star midfielder Gabriela Salgado during their 2-1 defeat to Nigeria on Tuesday night. The 27-year-old suffered a horrific leg break in the 83rd minute, just as the semi-final appeared headed for extra time. According to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Banyana Banyana\u2019s hopes of defending their WAFCON crown came to a heartbreaking halt in Casablanca, following a distressing injury to star midfielder Gabriela...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[289,2593,288,5616],"class_list":{"0":"post-17894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-african-football","10":"tag-banyana-banyana","11":"tag-soccer","12":"tag-wafcon-2025"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17899,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17894\/revisions\/17899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}