logo
Ellis hails Banyana after hard-fought victory over Senegal

Ellis hails Banyana after hard-fought victory over Senegal

The Citizen6 days ago
'I said the game was not going to be easy," said Ellis.
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis was full of praise for her charges after they defeated Senegal on penalties to reach the semifinals of the CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
South Africa beat the Lionesses of Teranga 4-1 in a penalty shootout in a quarterfinal clash played at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco on Saturday. The game had to be decided on penalties after the sides were locked at 0-0 after extra-time.
READ MORE: Dlamini the hero as Banyana beat Senegal to reach WAFCON semis
Banyana will now face Nigeria, whothrashedZambia 5-0 on Friday, in Tuesday's first semi-final in Casablanca.
'I said the game was not going to be easy, I said it was going to be a difficult game because of the group they were in and how they got out – and we didn't expect anything less,' Ellis told SAFA media.
'The first 15 minutes we showed a bit of nerves, trying to get into the game but once we got into the game, we nullified the threat, their two tall strikers. We dealt very well with their long ball, but sometimes we gave the ball away too cheaply. Senegal has improved from the last time we played them, the coach has done a fantastic job.'
Ellis praise Banyana's never-say-die attitude
Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini made two great saves in the penalty shootout, while Karabo Dhlamini, Tiisetso Makhubela, Gabriela Salgado and Bambanani Mbane all converted their spot kicks to help Banyana move one step closer to retaining their WAFCON crown.
'We have been practicing penalties, and we knew who our kickers were going to be and that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew that Andile can save one or two – she had done it before.
'This was our first penalty shoot victory in the WAFCON – we lost it in 2006 and in 2018 in the final. I don't have enough words to describe this team – the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willingness to fight for each other. No matter what they threw at us we were able to withstand that,' added Ellis.
South Africa will now meet their nemesis Nigeria will meet in a blockbuster semifinal clash at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca on Tuesday.
'We are not thinking about Nigeria right now, we will think about the next match tomorrow. Let's celebrate what we have done,' concluded Ellis.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Desiree Ellis remains committed to Banyana Banyana despite Wafcon struggles
Desiree Ellis remains committed to Banyana Banyana despite Wafcon struggles

IOL News

time2 hours ago

  • IOL News

Desiree Ellis remains committed to Banyana Banyana despite Wafcon struggles

BANYANA Banyana legend Jermaine Seoposenwe with coach Desiree Ellis, played her last match for Banyana Banyana on Friday. | BackpagePix Banyana are set to finish fourth at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations finals which is set to conclude Sunday night after relinquishing their crown. Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says she'll continue to 'trust the process' as her team turns over a new chapter after an underwhelming continental outing. After getting out of the group stage comfortably, they were not convincing in the knockout stage as they beat Senegal on penalties in the quarter–final and lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Nigeria in the semi-final. Banyana were not at their best in the third/fourth place play-offs either as they lost to Ghana 4-3 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time Friday night. Their shortcomings in the crucial stages of the tournament somewhat hinted at the toll the team took prior to the tournament following another bonus row with Safa. Ellis said they were at the tournament to win it during her post-match press conference at Stade El Arbi Zaouli in Casablanca though. 'Everyone that goes to a tournament has the ambition of winning it - Nigeria have been the only country that has defended it, though they didn't at times,' Ellis said. 'Equatorial Guinea won it twice, but we didn't get there - but it was so, so close. I think what happened there (against Nigeria) took a lot out of the players. 'We knew that we were going to play in the play-offs match, but we unfortunately didn't do well today.' Banyana's shortcomings in Morocco have seen some members of the football fraternity call for Ellis to be released, citing that she's out of sorts. This is due to the fact that the team needs a new direction and strategy given that some key players have already called time on their international careers, while others are close to. Jermaine Seoposenwe retired from international football after Wafcon, saying she's taking care of her well-being, while Thembi Kgatlana withdrew from being considered for the event, citing personal reasons. Ellis, though, insists that she's still the right coach to usher Banyana to a new era having been the brains behind Banyana's first qualification for the World Cup in 2019 and triumph at Wafcon in 2022. 'I have been with the team since 2014 as an assistant, 2016 as an acting coach and 2018 as the head coach - so it's a process,' Ellis reflected. 'Unfortunately, the process is always to win. That is the thing with fans, they don't see the bigger picture. So, we trust the process. 'We are also a team in transition. We trust the process, but fans don't trust the process - all they want is results. 'They don't see what you are doing and how the team is evolving, they don't see those things. When you are in the national team, fans want results.'

'We'll dust ourselves off and move on,' says Banyana coach Ellis after Wafcon bronze medal match defeat to Ghana
'We'll dust ourselves off and move on,' says Banyana coach Ellis after Wafcon bronze medal match defeat to Ghana

TimesLIVE

time11 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

'We'll dust ourselves off and move on,' says Banyana coach Ellis after Wafcon bronze medal match defeat to Ghana

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has graciously accepted her team's fate after they finished fourth at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Ghana at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Friday night. The defending champions lost 4-3 on penalties against the Black Queens, a team Ellis' charges had defeated 2-0 in their opening Group C match earlier in July. Banyana looked to be cruising to yet another victory when they took the lead through Nonhlanhla Mthanti on the stroke of halftime but poor defending after the restart got Ghana back into the match after they equalised through Alice Kusi in the 68th minute. Ellis lamented her team's slow start and failure to control the game in the early stages as one of the reasons that gave the Ghanaians confidence, especially in the second half in which they cancelled Mthanti's goal. 'We started very slowly, got into the game and got a goal when we pressed,' Ellis explained after Friday's match.

No complaints from Ellis in Banyana defeat to Ghana
No complaints from Ellis in Banyana defeat to Ghana

The Citizen

time12 hours ago

  • The Citizen

No complaints from Ellis in Banyana defeat to Ghana

Banyana finished the tournament in fourth place after the loss to Ghana. Coach Desiree Ellis gave an honest assessment to Banyana Banyana's surprise loss to Ghana. This after Banyana went down 4-3 on penalties to the Black Queens in a CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) third-place play-off match at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Friday night. ALSO READ: Ghana end Banyana's dream of winning a medal at WAFCON The game had to be decided on penalties after the teams were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time. 'We started very slowly, got into the game and got a goal when we pressed. But they came out guns blazing for most of the second half, especially that first 15 minutes. We couldn't get our foot on the ball to slow the game down, and to take control. They were just better than us in the second half and eventually going to penalties, we always knew that we had a chance. Unfortunately, we didn't win the penalty shootout this time around, so congratulations to Ghana. We live on, and we'll then start preparing for what's forward,' Ellis told SAFA media. 'I think some of the games took a lot out of us, but we always knew either getting to the final or getting to the third and 4th place playoff we still had another game. We had five substitutes really because we've also picked up some injuries along the way, but that's not an excuse. We just have to pick ourselves up, these things happen in football – you've got to give credit to the opponents, in most situations they were better than us and I not going to sugar-coat that, you've got to give credit where it's due,' added Ellis. Banyana to 'dust' themselves and move on Following their failure to defend their WAFCON title, Ellis says there is no time to cry over spilled milk. 'We dust ourselves off and move on. We can't look back too much, yes it wasn't a great campaign, but we got into the semifinals and came very close to getting to the final, so we'll just move on. Like every team that comes to a tournament, we had ambitions of winning it, but we didn't get there. Unfortunately, we didn't do well today,' commented Ellis. ALSO READ: Ngwenya sees Sithole-like recovery for injured Banyana star In the six matches that Banyana played in the WAFCON, they managed two wins in open play – defeating Ghana (2-0) and Mali (4-0). They drew against Tanzania (1-1), beat Senegal on penalties in the quarterfinals before going down 1-2 to Nigeria in the semi-finals.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store