Beating Nigeria Vital for Our Momentum, Says S’Africa Coach 

WAFCON 2022 

Banyana Banyana Head Coach, Desiree Ellis, has stressed the importance of their victory over Nigeria to build momentum for the rest of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign.

South Africa beat the defending champions 2-1 in their Group C opener at Stade Moulay Hasan in Rabat, Morocco on Monday thanks to second-half goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe (61′) and Hildah Magaia (63′).

Ellis hailed the performance of her players, admitting they executed the game-plan to perfection against the Super Falcons, who have won the tournament a record nine times.

Ellis’ side will now switch their focus to Thursday’s clash with Burundi and the 59-year-old insists they are not about to write off the Swallows despite their 4-2 defeat by Botswana in their first game on Monday.

“The first game of the tournament is always very important and what made the game bigger was that we played Nigeria. We knew we needed to get a good start that’d give us the confidence and the momentum,” she said.

“The players were magnificent… they executed the plan to the tee. This is a massive three points because now it sets the tone for the rest of the tournament for us.

“We’re not going to underestimate any team. This game is now behind us and now we focus on our next opponent which is Burundi. We’ll make sure that we plan and prepare well, then it’s up to the players to execute the plan.”

Ellis dedicated the win to her fellow South Africans back home, hoping it would ease their troubles somewhat, with the country enduring rolling blackouts for the last two months.

“This victory is for everyone back home. It’s for the coaches that have put in such a lot of work. For the people back home, you know, the situation back home… there’s a lot of challenges. So we tried to do it for our country,” she concluded.