“I Lost 3 Family Members Over the Last Three Weeks”: Thembi Kgatlana Opens Up After Win Over Italy

• Banyana's Thembi Kgatlana, who scored against Italy, lost three family members in the last three weeks
• The forward disclosed that she could have returned home but decided to make history with the SA team
• Kgatlana stated the Banyana squad had faced heavy criticism from fans but believes it is part of football

Banyana Banyana striker, Thembi Kgatlana, has reacted after South Africa’s hard-fought victory over Italy at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Kgatlana scored the winner for her side in stoppage time to take her nation through to the knockout phase of the competition for the first time in their history.

The striker disclosed that it had been an emotional period for her, having lost three family members in the space of three weeks.

The Racing Louisville FC forward added the team had faced a lot of criticism from fans and she had only returned from an injury recently, as GOAL reports.

New Barcelona signing reveals his greatest midfield trio in history

Football

In a post-match interview, Kgatlana said:

"So emotional, you know… I’ve been in camp pushing every day. I chose to be with this team. We’ve got a lot of criticism, but it’s football.

"Over the last three weeks, I’ve lost three family members. I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls because that’s how much it means."

The striker said she returned from injury to play at the Women's World Cup, to represent every other girl who wanted to be in Australia and New Zealand and to make history.

"I mean, everyone deserves it. It was a team effort. As you can see, the girls are happy we’ve made history," Kgatlana added.

Italian scores bizarre own goal

Sports Brief also reported on Italian star, Benedetta Orsi scoring a bizarre own goal at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

They came up against South Africa in their final group game, knowing a draw would be enough to see them through to the last 16.

Italy got a bit too comfortable in possession as they conceded a bizarre equaliser after a miscommunication among the defence.