AMAZWE amane amele izwekazi i-Afrika, kwiFifa Women’s World Cup esingethwe yi-Australia neNew Zealand, anethemba lokuthi azothuthuka kulo mqhudelwano yize ebhekane nobunzima emidlalweni yokuvula amaqoqo.
Mathathu amazwe ase-Afrika avule ngesibhaxu, okuyiNingizimu Afrika, iZambia neMorocco kepha iNigeria yakwazi ukubuya nephuzu.
AmaSuper Falcons okuyiwona anesipiliyoni esingconywana kulo mqhudelwano uma eqhathaniswa namanye amaqembu, athole iphuzu ebambana ngo 0-0 neCanada emdlalweni kaGroup B. Adlulela kweyomkhumulajezi okokuqala ngqa eNdebeni yoMhlaba yango-2019, aqeda endaweni yesithathu eqoqweni lawo ngamaphuzu amathathu.
Abengaphansi kwengcindezi kodwa akwazi ukuyivimba iCanada, eyadla isicoco sama-Olympic eTokyo ngo-2021. Iqhawe kube ngunozinti uChiamaka Nnadozie, ovimbe inqwaba yamashodi ayingozi nephenathi eshaywe nguChristine Sinclair.
Emdlalweni wesibili kusasa ngo-12 emini, leli qembu elicijwa nguRandy Waldrum wase-United States of America, lizobhekana nosokhaya i-Australia. Kowokugcina weqoqo ngoMsombuluko ozayo, lizodudulana neRepublic of Ireland.
Njengamanje i-Australia iqhwakele kuleli qoqo ngemuva kokushaya iRepublic of Ireland ngo 1-0 emdlalweni wayo wokuvula.
INigeria izobhekana ne-Australia engekho umdlali wasesiswini uDeborah Abiodun, othole ikhadi elibomvu ngesikhathi bedlala neCanada.
Iqembu lakuleli iBanyana Banyana, lilwe kanzima ngempelasonto edlule kodwa lagcina liguqe ngo 2-1 libhekene neSweden, kowokuvula kuGroup G eWellington Regional Stadium.
EzikaDesiree Ellis zihambe phambili ngegoli likaHildah Magaia, ngaphambi kokuthi iBlagult iwantshontshe womathathu amaphuzu ngamagoli kaFridolina Rolfo, no-Amanda Ilestedt.
IBanyana isibheke ukuvuka uma isidlala owesibili ne-Argentina ngoLwesihlanu ngo-2 ekuseni, ngaphambi kokusonga imidlalo yamaqoqo ne-Italy ngo-Agasti 2.
I-Italy isendaweni enhle kuleli qoqo ngemuva kokushaya i-Argentina ngo 1-0 emdlalweni wayo wokuqala.
“Siyazethemba njengoba sibheke emidlalweni emibili elandelayo nakuba sazi ukuthi ngeke ibe lula. Amathuba esiwathole emdlaweni wokuqala asinika ithemba futhi siyazazi izinto okumele sizilungise,” kusho u-Ellis kwabezindaba ngemuva komdlalo neSweden.
Umqeqeshi uphinde wacacisa ngendlela ebeliqoke ngayo iqembu elidlale neSweden, lapho eqalise khona unozinti uKaylin Swart, lishiya ngaphandle u-Andile Dlamini, owaba ngunozinti ovele benqoba isicoco seWomen’s Africa Cup of Nations nyakenye.
“Ukuqala kukaKaylin akukhona kuphela okudale izinkulumo kodwa kube nemibuzo mayelana nokungaqali kukaNoko Matlou emuva. Besidinga umuntu ozomaka aphinde akwazi ukulidlala ibhola nokuyinto engicabanga ukuthi uBongeka (Gamede) uyenze kahle,” uchaze kanje.
“NoKaylin besibona sengathi uma sidinga ukuphasela unozinti uzosisiza ngoba nguyena olidlala kangcono ibhola ngezinyawo. Ukwazile ukusitakula kaningi ngaleyo ndlela futhi ubengomunye wabadlali abalithinte kaningi ibhola.
“Kumele uzame izinto ezehlukene. Kwesinye isikhathi ziyasebenza futhi kwesinye isikhathi zingasebenzi kodwa sizenza ngoba kunesidingo.”
Amanye amaqembu amabili adlala kulo mqhudelwano okokuqala, iZambia neMorocco, amukelwe ngesibhaxu esiqinile. IZambia iqunjwe phansi yiJapan ngo 5-0 emdlalweni wayo wokuqala kaGroup C, kwathi iMorocco yabhudluzwa yiGermany ngo 6-0 kuGroup H.
Okwenza kube nzima kakhulu kwiCopper Queens wukuthi unozinti wayo, uCatherine Musonda, uthole ikhadi elibomvu futhi ngeke abe khona uma sebedlala umdlalo wesibili neSpain, namuhla ngo-9.30 ekuseni.
Umdlalo wabo wokugcina wamaqoqo bazowudlala neCosta Rica, ehlulwe yiSpain ngo 3-0 kowayo wokuqala. Okunye okufanele kunikeze iZambia ithemba wukuthi iCosta Rica ishaywe yiBanyana ngo 2-0 emdlalweni wobungani ngaphambi kokuqala komqhudelwano.
I-Atlas Lionesses yaseMorocco izobhekana neSouth Korea ngeSonto bese ivala iColombia ngoLwesine oluzayo, ngo-Agasti 3.