The South Africa Football Association confirmed on Wednesday that Banyana Banyana forward, Gabriela Salgado, had undergone successful surgery to address a “fracture of the mid-shaft of her left leg” at the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, and would be out of action for at least the rest of 2025.
Victorious semifinalists Nigeria offered a statement of support for the forward, outlining that they were “profoundly saddened to learn of the serious injury” and that their “immediate focus, and their enduring concern is solely for her wellbeing, comfort, and recovery.”
Speaking to ESPN, Banyana centurion Lebogang Ramalepe has promised to step up in her role as a senior player and help the young members of the squad bounce back after the injury, as they look forward to Friday’s third-placed playoff with Ghana.
Salgado was stretchered off with a severe leg injury following an 84th-minute collision with Chinwendu Ihezuo, with Banyana’s players visibly distressed and distraught after seeing Salgado’s leg in an unnatural, distorted position.
At that point in the match, the reigning champions had drawn level with the Super Falcons and were in the ascendency, but still shellshocked followed Salgado’s injury, they conceded late as Michelle Alozie struck a freak winner from range for the tournament favourites.
“It’s going to be tough, but we have to be there for the young ones,” Ramalepe told ESPN. “I think now they’re going to get an opportunity to play [in the third-placed playoff against Ghana today, so you just have to be there for them and make sure that you push them so that they can give their best.
“The girls showed character, they were resilient in the games, but we now have to pick ourselves up and move on to the next one.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and make sure that in the next game, we dedicate it to her.”
The 33-year-old agreed with head coach Desiree Ellis that it was the injury that ultimately cost Banyana a place in Saturday’s final against Morocco, with the team struggling to pick themselves up after seeing their teammate stretchered off.
“Yes, yes it affected play, because you can tell everyone was emotional,” she added. “I think at that moment, when it happened, everyone lost focus because it was something very tangible.”
Ellis has sought to give this Banyana team an extra edge in international competitions in recent years by employing mental coach Leanne Redding, a high-performance mentor specialising in working with athletes and sports personnel, to help underpin the team’s growth.
—ESPN
