Publications
Partners
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes the team still has some boxes to tick off following a superb defence of their Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Women’s Championship title.
With a month to go before the Africa Women Cup of Nations, which starts on November 17, Ellis and her charges are ready to continue blasting any team that stands in their way.
Ellis said it was hard to defend the title they won last year after beating Zimbabwe 2-1 in Bulawayo, but gave thanks to the supporters who cheered them on when they needed them the most.
Banyana have come a long way to be where they are in terms of performances, but still have to improve.
“We have identified our weaknesses and we are working very hard to fix them. We need to be clinical in front of goals,” Ellis explained.
Banyana won the regional tournament last week, beating Cameroon 2-1 in a nail-biting victory at Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
“Cameroon have very good quality players who gave us a run for our money. That final reminded me of the game we played against them in 2016, where they used their physical strengths to beat us [1-0]. This time around, they tried it, but we were clever.”
The former Banyana Banyana captain said that, despite the west African giants dominating the match, her team had many clear-cut chances to win the game.
“They kept us on the back foot, but we knew what to do to win the game – sometimes finals are like that. But, above all, I am happy with the results.”
On Tuesday, Banyana will jet off to play South American side Chile in back-to-back friendlies. The first match will be played at Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar on Saturday. The second clash is scheduled for next Tuesday at Estadio Santa Laura in Santiago.
“These games are very important to us because they will help us prepare for the Africa Women Cup of Nations. Chile have qualified for the World Cup in France next year, and that shows we will be playing a quality side.”
The 55-year-old coach said it was important to go up against top football-playing nations so that the team could maintain the momentum from the Cosafa tournament success and take it into the continental shindig.
She also praised captain Janine van Wyk for her historic milestone – reaching 150 caps for the national team and, in the process, becoming the most capped woman player in Africa.
“We appreciate her commitment and making sure she is looking after her body well. Reaching 100 caps is not easy, but reaching 150 is phenomenal.”
She hopes her team will continue to score goals and not rely on a few players for this job.
“I’m happy with my players all scoring. We didn’t only rely on Linda Motlhalo, who scored four. Khanya Xesi chipped in with three and, in the final, Refiloe Jane scored a brace.”
Other players who found the back of the net during the tournament include Nothando Vilakazi, Kgaelebane Mohlakoana and Jermaine Seoposenwe.
It is not yet clear if Ghana will host this year’s continental tournament, but Ellis said they should know before they go to Chile on Tuesday.
Banyana have not won the continental championship, but managed to reach the final four times. The last time they reached the final was in 2012, when they lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea at Estadio de Malabo in Malabo.
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
