Banyana go down to France
Desiree Ellis' Banyana Banyana kickstarted the year on a bad note after losing 2-0 to France in St Denis, Reunion Islands, on Sunday.
Desiree Ellis with Banyana SA players during the 2016 FIFA U/20 Womens World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and Zambia at Makhulong Stadium. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Two goals by France striker Griedge Mbock were more than enough to see the French team seal their second victory against the South Africans in two meetings.
It was always going to be a tough encounter for Banyana playing the world number-three ranked national women’s team, and that became clear as Mbock scored in the first 10 minutes of the game before getting her second goal in the 35th minute.
Banyana could barely play in the first half, and they found themselves in the same situation in the second stanza, with France putting Banyana under pressure.
But some firm defending and, at some point, luck on Banyana’s side kept France searching for their third goal of the match but couldn’t get it while Banyana barely created goal-scoring chances to try and get back into the game.
