'We still have it in us, it wasn't a good day at the office, we can be better than that,' said the Banyana head coach.
Desiree Ellis was left with plenty to ponder after Banyana’s loss to Tanzania on Monday. Picture: Backpagepix
Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis admitted her side cannot afford any more slip-ups, following their opening Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Group B loss to Tanzania on Monday.
Banyana in need of a win
Banyana will now take on Ivory Coast on Friday, needing a victory to get their WAFCON campaign back on track. Only the top two teams in Group B will make it to the quarterfinals.
Ellis’ side need to secure a semifinal spot if they are to qualify automatically for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
“I felt that all three games were going to be difficult, but a good start would have given us the momentum and now the next match becomes a final before the final, it’s a must-win, and also the game after that,” Ellis told safa.net.
“We still have it in us, it wasn’t a good day at the office, we can be better than that. We cannot drop any more points and with only two teams progressing to the next round, we have to put our best foot forward.
“We knew that we had it in us to get positive results, and for that we are disappointed.
“Goals win games, we knew what Tanzania was going to do, but the two goals we conceded were poor,” she added on the 2-1 loss.
“They had two chances and they scored them and won the game. I said before the match that it was going to be a very difficult match, but we also made life difficult for ourselves.”
‘Someone you can rely on’
The loss to Tanzania was not the best way for midfielder Linda Motlhalo to mark her 100th appearance for Banyana.
“Linda came into the team back in 2015 and has been in the team ever since. She is someone you can rely on, very creative, very good on the ball and she deserves it. Hopefully she can go further and clock another 50. She has been a tremendous and an ultimate professional, and has carried herself well. I just want to say congratulations to her, and her family can be proud of how much she has given to the game,” said Ellis.
