South Africa striker Thembi Kgatlana has been ruled of out of the ongoing 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco due to an injury.
Kgatlana suffered a complete rupture of the left achilles tendon in her side's last Group C game against Botswana on Sunday at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, according to the Banyana Banyana Doctor Rodney Mokoka.
The 2018 African Player of the Year, who just signed for Racing Louisville in the NWSL, USA, opened her goalscoring account at WAFCON 2022 with a goal against Burundi in their second group game and has been key to their attack, running rings around defenders and troubling goalkeepers.
She is the second major player to be ruled out of the WAFCON, after Nigeria and Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria sustained a Grade 2 Medial Collateral Ligament strain in their opener against South Africa a week ago. She has since left for surgery in Spain.
South Africa face Tunisia in their quarterfinal game on Thursday in Rabat.