Desiree Ellis celebrates after Banyana Banyana reached the final of the Womens Africa Cup of Nations. Picture: Samuel Shivambu, BackpagePix
Durban - Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has hailed the performance of her defensive unit following their 1-0 win over Zambia in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) semi-final in Rabat on Monday.
Ellis’s charges will now face off against Morocco in the final on Saturday.
The result marked a third consecutive game in which Banyana kept a clean sheet.
“We were always in control at the back and the defence was magnificent. I said that if we keep a clean sheet, we will create opportunities. We wanted to be more in control and stay compact in the back in the second half while also having more movement up front,” said Ellis.
𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐭𝐨-𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 👏
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 18, 2022
🇿🇦 Banyana Banyana are heading to the #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 final courtesy of Linda Motlhalo’s stoppage-time penalty ✅ pic.twitter.com/y8xdidVj9P
Despite being the pre-match underdogs, Zambia gave a competitive performance. The Copper Queens dominated the first half and Banyana required a second half penalty from Linda Motlhalo to win the game.
Ellis paid tribute to her team’s Southern African neighbours for their spirited performance.
“Zambia showed true quality but we wanted it in the end. They tried to play the long ball behind us and we created chances. The victory is important as we are in the final,” said Ellis.
South Africa take the first semifinal of the day and they're feeling pretty good about it! 😂
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 18, 2022
They're heading to the @CAFwomen Final! pic.twitter.com/2i1CVHi51O
As one of the top four teams at WAFCON, Banyana have already achieved one of their objectives which is securing World Cup qualification. Their next objective will be to secure a first ever continental crown.
“Our two objectives were to qualify for the World Cup and get to the final. We know that many have been in this position and we want to go one better. It is a big celebration now for those that have been with us for two successive World Cups.
“The fans have also been magnificent to us on Madiba Day. It was a tight game and these games are normally tight games,” said Ellis.
@EshlinV