Ellis wary of fatigue ahead of Banyana semifinal clash against Nigeria
Ellis praised Banyana's resilience against Senegal and hopes to see the same against Nigeria.
'We have been practising penalties and we knew who our kickers were going to be and that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew Andile could save one or two; she had done [that] before.
'This was our first penalty shoot-out victory in the Wafcon. We lost it in the 2006 and 2018 finals. I don't have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude and the willingness to fight for each other.
'No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.'
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Next Stay Close ✕ She then temporarily took over the reins from Pauw in 2016 before she was finally appointed as the head coach in 2018 to date. During her stint, the 62-year-old has achieved the improbable, including winning Banyana's maiden WAFCON and qualifying for back-to-back World Cups. However, she was unable to defend the crown in Morocco recently due to an underwhelming performance, including losing to eventual champions Nigeria in the semi-final. So, where to go for Ellis? Will she resolve her contractual issues with Safa and stay put to ensure the team qualifies for the 2027 World Cup through next year's WAFCON? 'No comment!' said Ellis during her post-match press conference on Friday following the 4-3 loss to Ghana on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time. 'Because whatever it is that I am going to say right now, it's going to be taken out of context anyway. So, I'd rather say 'no comment'.' While she is tight-lipped about the direction of her future, she has pointed out that lack of time to prepare for their title defence led to their shortcomings. 'I don't want to make excuses, but we had more time in 2022 to prepare. Our league started late, so we have to consider all those factors,' Ellis said. 'We have to consider how we'd go this tournament – so that's why we made sure that we rotated players for freshness. We had four injured in the stands and five outfield substitutes. So, that's how it goes, but we'll go back and look at what we can do better. 'In 2018, we looked at how we played and what we were doing, and we did things a little bit differently in 2022.' Banyana blew hot and cold after the 2022 WAFCON. They reached the World Cup last sixteen for the first time in 2023, missed out on the Olympics and have now relinquished their title. So, as Ellis tries to map the way forward she knows that she has to usher in a new era, and integrate some new players into the team. There were glimpses of a new dawn at WAFCON as Ronnel Donnelly made her international debut and got to share the pitch with her now retired idol Jermaine Seoposenwe. Ellis, though, stresses that the failure of the junior national teams to qualify for major tournaments is what will hinder their progress going forward. 'Like we said, the continent is like a gold-mine, so everyone has got to step up because there are a lot of investments,' Ellis explained. 'You have seen the investments in the other countries. We need to step up or we are going to be left behind. We have the talent, but our youth teams need to qualify for tournaments. 'So, that's the experience that other countries get - when the youth teams go to these tournaments. Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria have been doing it. 'Nigeria have been doing it at every level. So, when you see those players coming through with that experience (it becomes very crucial).'
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Nigeria's players celebrate with the trophy on the podium after winning the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations final football match against Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on July 26, 2025. Picture: Abdel Majid Bziqouat/AFP Image: Abdel Majid Bziqouat/AFP Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu led the football-mad nation in celebrating the women's squad after a stunning comeback to win a record-extending Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The 3-2 victory against hosts Morocco in Rabat confirmed the west Africans as the queens of women's football in Africa as they pulled off a 10th title in 13 editions. Tinubu said the team's "spectacular performance... exemplifies the determination that defines the Nigerian spirit". The Super Falcons staged a remarkable comeback from being two goals down to beat Morocco on Saturday night. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Tinubu Praises Nigeria's WAFCON Victory Amidst Economic Challenges 'You have lifted our spirits. You are a pride to your generation,' Tinubu told the team in a post-match video call. 'You have achieved the mission the nation dreamed of and prayed for. Nigeria celebrates you.' Dubbed Mission X, the WAFCON title was a tonic for many Nigerians enduring the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation as the government carries out reforms. Nigerians Find Momentary Relief and Hope in Falcons' Victory Muhammad Awwal, a taxi driver who relocated to the northern city of Kano to escape the violence of Borno state, the epicentre of the jihadist insurgency, hailed the Falcons for helping Nigerians to 'momentarily forget our common problems'. 'Everywhere people erupted in celebration after the final whistle. All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of celebration of the spectacular win,' Awwal told AFP. 'Last night all the problems tormenting us - the high cost of living, banditry and Boko Haram violence - disappeared. 'It was a great relief, thanks to the Falcons,' he said. Abuja housewife Comfort Zamani, agreed: 'Life has not been easy, but at least the girls helped us to forget the hardships even if for only a few hours,' she told AFP. 'They have given us some hope that we should keep fighting and not give up even when things are rough.' Nigeria's Super Falcons Celebrate Historic WAFCON Victory with Last-Minute Triumph In the densely-populated neigbourhoods of Dako, Kabusa and Galadimawa of the Nigerian capital Abuja, loud cheers tore through the late night to celebrate Nigeria's two comeback goals. But the loudest cheers were heard when substitute Jennifer Echegini swept home a free kick with only two minutes left on the clock for the championship-winning goal, and then at full time. Sunday newspaper carried front page headlines such as 'Unstoppable Falcons win 10th WAFCON from two goals down' and 'Super Falcons rule Africa again'. Chairman of the country's supporters club Vincent Okumagba further congratulated the players 'for accomplishing 'Mission X'' and for for 'not giving up when they were down'. AFP
