Desiree Ellis’s soldiers came into the Buhari tournament after a long layoff due to the Corona virus outbreak that hindered the team’s plans including that of an International friendly against the Netherlands.
Banyana dominated the Black Queens from the first half with Hildah Magaia getting the opener in the 18th minute. Ellis’s chargers piled up pressure and created more scoring opportunities but were unable to capitalize and extend the lead before the half-time break.
Banyana’s dominant display continued in the second half as Atletico Madrid’s forward Thembi Kgatlana doubled the lead in the 53rd minute.
Rising star Sibulele Holweni’s 83rd minute stunner sealed the win for Banyana Banyana.
Speaking in the post-match interview Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis revealed that her team started off rusty but gradually got into the game.
“In the beginning I thought we were a bit rusty because we had not played since April and had not seen some of our players since 2019 but the other group has been in training. We created a lot of opportunities. We will always create a lot of opportunities, that’s who we are and if we don’t concede we have a chance of winning the game”, said Ellis.
“We also showed that we can play a bit of combination play and get players through and as the game got on we got a bit better. Towards the later stages I thought we managed the game very well”.
“We know there is another game coming so we have to ensure that we manage ourselves very well. We made a few changes, our team is very versatile and when we made changes we looked even better”, added Ellis.
“We are very happy with the results but the performance still leaves a room for improvement”, concluded Ellis.
Banyana Banyana will face hosts Nigeria on Tuesday, 21 September 2021 at the Moboloji Johnson Stadium.
