Thembi Kgatlana had time to drag off another trick, to take another shot, to ship another jolt of electrical energy by means of the group. She had been operating, by that stage, for roughly 100 minutes, mounting what appeared at occasions to be a fearsome, one-woman marketing campaign to maintain South Africa within the World Cup for so long as potential.
By that stage, even she would have conceded that it was over. The Netherlands had a two-goal lead, and someplace within the area of 30 seconds to outlive. However Kgatlana, as she had already amply proved on this match, doesn’t imagine in stopping.
And so she picked up the ball, halfway contained in the Dutch half, spun and writhed and twisted away from one defender, leaving her sprawled on the turf, after which lined as much as shoot from 25 yards. The trouble clipped Stefanie Van der Gragt within the face, and slithered simply extensive of Daphne van Domselaar’s purpose.
It might, then, be the Dutch who emerged from this spherical of 16 match — the one which was meant to characteristic the USA, and so was scheduled to happen in a first-rate time U.S. tv slot — to arrange a quarterfinal assembly with Spain in Wellington, New Zealand. In hindsight, it would appear to be that final result had been inevitable from the ninth minute, when Jill Roord gently nudged the Netherlands into the lead. And but, because of Kgatlana, it had not felt like that in any respect.
At occasions, notably within the first half, she had appeared to take the thought of South Africa’s elimination as a private affront. She took the struggle to the Dutch virtually single-handedly, wresting management of the sport, changing into its central character, tormenting the defenders tasked with marking her, testing van Domselaar time and again and once more.
Kgatlana had already left an indelible mark on the match — and on South African soccer, for that matter — with the last-gasp goal that had defeated Italy and introduced Desiree Ellis’s South Africa crew right here, to a primary knockout recreation within the nation’s soccer historical past. The circumstances through which she had achieved so, within the midst of intense private grief, had made it not only a World Cup underdog story, however a parable of the ability of tolerating dedication.
She was not, then, prone to go quietly. She may, had issues solely been marginally, fractionally, microscopically completely different, have scored two or three or 4 within the opening section of the sport. As soon as, she rushed her end. As soon as, the ball didn’t fairly fall precisely when she may need appreciated. Twice, van Domselaar shot out a leg simply on the proper time.
At no level, although, may the Dutch chill out: Kgatlana was at all times there, on the shoulder of 1 central defender or one other, lurking, ready, after which bursting by means of, panic following in her wake.
Even after Lineth Beerensteyn doubled the Netherlands lead, her speculative effort squirming from Kaylin Swart’s grasp, the goalkeeper’s head bowing and coronary heart breaking as she turned to see it bobble over the road, there was no relaxation, no quarter. Kgatlana stored coming.
Solely the ultimate whistle introduced an finish, introduced deliverance. The Netherlands gamers lifted their arms in jubilation and aid. A few of South Africa’s gamers sank to their knees, their hopes ended and their dream dashed.
Kgatlana didn’t. She stayed standing, congratulating her opponents, commiserating her teammates. The Netherlands may be by means of, however it’s South Africa that can keep in mind this match because the time and the place when it arrived.