Ellis happy with her team as she focusses on England
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis insists their tour of Europe will bear fruits as they prepare for their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) defence in Morocco next year. The African Queens were hammered 5-0 by Denmark in their first international friendly in Aalborgh on Friday night, conceding all five goals in the second half.
However, Ellis has been around the blocks long enough to know that they can’t sulk. Turning focus to their next challenge, they are set to face England — ranked second in the world and the reigning European champions — in Coventry tomorrow night at 9.45pm.
Having arrived in the UK on Saturday night, Banyana welcomed the arrival of international players Thembi Kgatlana, Linda Motlalo, Hildah Magaia, and Sinoxolo Cesane, who missed the trip to face the Danes. This quartet is expected to add more dynamism to the team against England, although Ellis expressed satisfaction with the performance of her predominantly local-based squad against Denmark, who sit at 12th in the world rankings.
“This is the building block for us for Wafcon,” Ellis remarked during an interview with Safa.
“We’ve got to stay concentrated for the full 90 minutes. But I think it also shows that we hadn’t played in a while.
“It was a good test because we said we wanted to come here and test our players as well. It was indeed a good test. It’s not the result we wanted, but we gave a good effort.”
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Congratulations @Kholosa_Biyana for your milestone achievement in National Team colours, long may you continue to #LiveTheImposssible.#SasolinSport #BanyanaBanyana pic.twitter.com/j7NGEhWIA6
Banyana haven’t had the best year as a collective so far. They missed out on the Paris Olympic Games after losing to arch-rivals Nigeria in the final round of the qualifiers.
Their performance in friendly matches against Senegal in June has been inconsistent, drawing 1-1 in the first leg before clinching a 2-0 victory in the return leg. Ellis, ever vocal about expanding her selection pool, insists they are moving in the right direction.
“I think for many of them, having not played against teams of this calibre, we needed to test them and see if they would take them on the journey or not,” she said. “I think most of them raised their hands, which makes it very difficult for us, playing against a top team such as Denmark.”
COSAFA Banyana Banyana goalkeeper taking her brilliant free kick in her stride@SasolinSport @pefmo_za @Shield_ZA @Banyana_Banyanahttps://t.co/621iSqPGG4
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The clash against Denmark also marked an incredible milestone for midfielder Kholosa Biyana, who earned her 50th international cap. Reflecting on the achievement, Biyana expressed gratitude despite the team's disappointing result.
“I am glad to be one of the players who are celebrating a long run,” she said. “The journey started in 2017, and I have now played 50 games – I think that’s been a lot of games.
“I am grateful for this milestone, and I am hoping for more with the national team. It was not the greatest of results, but this was a learning curve for all of us.”
Meanwhile, the makeshift Banyana team will be eager to cement their spot in the Cosafa Championship semi-final as they prepare to face Seychelles in their final Group A clash this afternoon. Coach Maude Khumalo’s squad has had an impressive run in the group stage, winning their first two matches against Namibia and Eswatini.
Their most recent clash against Eswatini was particularly memorable, as goalkeeper Jessica Williams scored a stunning free kick, a goal that could be a strong contender for Goal of the Tournament.