The South Africans came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Moulay Rachid Stadium, keeping their quarter-final hopes alive after an opening defeat to Tanzania.
Match Action
Côte d’Ivoire started brightly and took control of the contest through Grace Sery. The forward opened the scoring in the 18th minute and doubled her side’s lead before half-time with her second goal in the 34th minute, leaving South Africa with a mountain to climb.
Desiree Ellis’s side improved after the break and pulled one back in the 71st minute when Thembi Kgatlana found the net to give the South Africans a lifeline.
As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Banyana Banyana refused to settle for defeat. Hilda Magaia struck in the ninth minute of added time to level the scores at 2-2 and spark wild celebrations among the South African contingent.
Group Implications
The result leaves Côte d’Ivoire top of Group B with four points from two matches after their opening 4-1 win over Burkina Faso. South Africa sit on one point from two games and will need a strong performance in their final group fixture against Burkina Faso to progress.
The draw highlighted Banyana Banyana’s resilience after a difficult start to the tournament, while Côte d’Ivoire will be disappointed to have surrendered a two-goal lead.