Banyana determined to end Wafcon group stage with strong victory

Daily Maverick

14-07-2025

Banyana Banyana will battle against Mali on Monday night to determine which of the two teams will finish at the summit of Group C before the quarterfinals.
After a stuttering display against low-ranked Tanzania in which they were forced to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw on Friday (11 July 2025), Banyana Banyana are out to end their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) group phase in a more assured manner.
Centre-back Bambanani Mbane spared South Africa from defeat against the determined Twiga Stars with a goal in the 70th minute. This after the Tanzanians had set the tone and attacked the South Africans from the onset during an inspired first half when they opened the scoring.
In the end, reigning African champions Banyana Banyana salvaged a crucial point. The draw against the Twiga Stars has since proven to be good enough for Desiree Ellis's side to reach the quarterfinal stage with a game to spare — no matter the outcome against Mali.
The top two teams in each of the three groups qualify for the knockout phase. Then two more nations make it via the back door, qualifying as the best third-place finishers.
This means that even if the South Africans suffer an unlikely drubbing to Mali on Monday, 14 July, it won't affect their passage to the next round. At worst, they will be one of the best losers.
Back to winning ways
Nevertheless, Ellis says her team is fully focused on claiming victory even though a draw would also be sufficient for Banyana Banyana to top Group C. They currently lead the mini-league due to having a superior goal difference to the Malians — who are also on four points after two games.
'We can get a point, but to play for a point is very dangerous. As long as I can remember, when we needed a draw, we've never gone to play for a point because you get caught. I've seen it happen to big teams… So, we're not that kind of team that will take it out of our hands,' Ellis said.
The Banyana Banyana coach, who is also a founding member of the South Africa's senior women's soccer side, says they are not too focused on how Mali will prepare for the match. Instead they are looking more at how they can recover from the Tanzania stutter and enter the quarterfinals on a winning high.
'Not sure what they are going to do, obviously we'll see when the game starts how they set up. Whether they sit deep or whether they come. But we have it in our hands to top the group, so we want to make sure that we win the game,' stated Ellis.
Rotating the team
Ellis also came in for some criticism for the number of changes she made to her starting lineup for the Tanzania clash. The Cape Town-born tactician made four changes from the team that beat Ghana in their tournament opener.
One of those alterations was bringing in goalkeeper Kaylin Swart for Andile Dlamini. This despite the latter being crucial in the 2-0 win against the Black Queens. After the Tanzania draw, Ellis played down the impact of the changes on the team's performance — saying she had a big and versatile squad for a reason.
One of Banyana Banyana's three captains for Wafcon — Amogelang Motau — also defended Ellis's squad rotation, especially considering the quick turnaround between matches at the continental tournament.
'Off the field, we are a very solid team. We are going through a transition. We are making it look seamless, but it is not. There's going to be a lot of player rotation. There are new players coming into the team. There are good seniors who are guiding us,' Motau said.
For keeping Banyana Banyana's opponents guessing, the rotation is a positive tool to have. But constant alterations that are not necessitated by injury or suspension can hamper the forging of team chemistry on the field — especially in the knockout phase.
It remains to be seen which players Ellis will trust from the start against Mali on Monday for the 9pm kickoff. But the message is clear from the coach: any of her players can accomplish the mission for Banyana Banyana. DM