Banyana coach rues missed chances after shock defeat
Coach Desiree Ellis says Banyana Banyana have no one but themselves to blame for their 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers' elimination.
Desiree Ellis coach of Banyana Banyana (Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)
Banyana lost on penalties to Botswana at Orlando Stadium to bow out of qualifiers on Tuesday night.
South Africa failed to convert the many chances that came their way and paid a price as they lost 2-3 on penalties after 220 minutes of play failed to produce any result.
“We had so many chances and you cannot even score one… from the first minute,” Ellis told the media after the game.
“The penalty shootout is always a lottery. It is disappointing for all [of] us. We have spoken in the past about chances that we needed to take. It was just too easy to miss and we missed them. It is just not a good day for us.
“In this game alone we could have been 4-0 or 5-0 up at half time. We had more chances in this game than we had in Botswana. They came with the plan [to frustrate us]‚ yet we still opened them up enough to create the chances.
“When you have the goal gaping and you don’t put the ball in the back the net. You hit the post‚ you go into a penalty shootout and you don’t do well in the shootout either. It is a disaster.”
When asked if her team took things for granted after their 0-0 draw away in Botswana, Ellis said: “We never took anything for granted‚ we worked hard on our finishing‚ combination play and the defensive side.
“Today we created more chances than I can ever remember and it is disappointing that we did not put one in the net‚ and the result is us being out.”
Banyana will now to qualify for the 2020 Africa Cup of Nations in Congo and Ellis said they would now have to sit down and have a look at the way forward.
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