Ellis Praises Banyana’s Great Start In WAFCON

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis expressed her satisfaction with her team’s win over Ghana in their opening match of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Linda Motlhalo (penalty) and Jermaine Seoposenwe scored the winning goals for Banyana Banyana in the first half in the Group C match at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco, on Monday evening.

Ellis emphasized the importance of getting off to a good start in any tournament. 

“Great start, it was proven in 2018 to get into the great start,” she said.

“In any tournament you are going to, you have to get positive results in the first game. If you get positive results in the first game, everything is in your hands.

“You cannot manage the group, but you can manage your players because when you know what you have on the bench, you will know who can bring and do the job.”

Regarding the match itself, Ellis added on what she saw.

“I think they (Ghana) started really well because we couldn’t start our buildup in the first 15 minutes,” she added.

“We then started playing, and I didn’t see the foul, but I know the foul was in the box.

“I think also the second goal came at a good time, and we could have finished the others because we had many chances.

“If you look at the game overall, their goalkeeper didn’t make many chances, which means we only did very well defensively. About the changes we made, I think we made them at the right time and that also really helped to settle the team down.”

The coach also acknowledged Ghana’s quality, noting, “Taking nothing away from Ghana, they’re still a quality side because the first 15 minutes could have changed the game. They would get the results they wanted if they managed to score in that 15 minutes because they were outstanding.”

With this win, Banyana Banyana currently lead Group C with three points, level with Mali, who defeated Tanzania 1-0 on Monday.

The defending champions will face Tanzania on Friday at the Honneur Stadium, looking to build on their momentum and make a strong impression in the tournament.