Latest news with #DesireeEllis
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Ellis urges composure and growth ahead of final clash with Zambia
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis will be keen to see some new combinations in action on Tuesday in their friendly against Zambia. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says it will be important for the team to win their final Three Nations match against Zambia on Tuesday as they continue preparations for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Banyana started the tournament on a high, beating neighbours Botswana 3–2 at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Wednesday. It was a patchy display, though, as they went into the break 3–1 up, only to concede another goal in the second half, making for a nervy finish. Ellis knows that mistakes are part and parcel of football, and that's why she won't be hard on the players if they make errors at this stage of the build-up to WAFCON. Banyana will need to produce a sterling campaign in Morocco, where they will head as defending champions. 'Look, we don't have many camps where we can look at a lot of players, so this is the big game that we've had this year,' Ellis said. 'If players can withstand the pressure here, I'm sure they can withstand WAFCON. If they have a bad game, it doesn't mean they are out of the equation just yet. "They're not going to get everything right, but as long as they understand what we're trying to do, that's important. We need to see something from them. 'We still have time to work on certain things in the pre-WAFCON camp. So, we don't discard someone after one bad day — anyone can have a bad day.' Ellis is aware that Zambia, who qualified for the last Olympic Games, will be tough opposition, which is why she wants her team to be at their best throughout. 'We need to be better at the back — more organised, better communication, better positioning,' she said. 'We also need to be more composed on the ball and offer better passing options. It's going to be key not to give the ball away so easily. 'Sometimes we're not even under pressure, but we still give the ball away cheaply. If you look at the second goal against Botswana, we should have gone left, but instead we played into traffic. "One minute later, the ball was in the back of our net. We have to be better in those moments. We need to make the right decisions.' Jermaine Seoposenwe of Banyana Banyana. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix
The Herald
5 days ago
- General
- The Herald
Ellis expects tougher test from Zambia in Banyana's second Wafcon warm-up
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is expecting Zambia to provide a tougher test for them when they meet in the final match of the Three Nations Series at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday. Banyana started the series with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Botswana in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on Wednesday afternoon and Ellis said her team will likely to have to improve to beat the Copper Queens. 'No disrespect to Botswana but Zambia have a lot more quality and they bring different types of dynamics to us,' she said. 'Defensively we have to be better because their front line is good and if you make mistakes at the back, they are going to punish you. From our side, when we get opportunities, we have to put them away.
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Ellis expects tougher test from Zambia in Banyana's second Wafcon warm-up
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is expecting Zambia to provide a tougher test for them when they meet in the final match of the Three Nations Series at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday. Banyana started the series with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Botswana in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on Wednesday afternoon and Ellis said her team will likely to have to improve to beat the Copper Queens. 'No disrespect to Botswana but Zambia have a lot more quality and they bring different types of dynamics to us,' she said. 'Defensively we have to be better because their front line is good and if you make mistakes at the back, they are going to punish you. From our side, when we get opportunities, we have to put them away. 🎙️ ℂ𝕆𝔸ℂℍ'𝕊 ℝ𝔼𝔸ℂ𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ 🎙️ 🗣️ "𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗" Despite winning, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is disappointed on how they played against Botswana. 🇿🇦 3⃣➖2⃣ 🇧🇼 #SABCSportFootball — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 28, 2025 'It is a game that is going to test us in every aspect because they are physical, they have pace and they are good on the counterattack. We need to do better in all those aspects.' Ellis was happy with the result against Botswana but concerned about the two goals South Africa conceded. 'Especially the first goal, we knew what was coming. I thought we were in a straight line and had cover, but we did not go out to head the ball and allowed it to bounce. 'For the second goal, we played into the traffic and it was not good enough. We have to be better because at Wafcon the level is going to be higher. 'Those are things that we will look at and try to rectify going forward.' ⏪ 🅸🅲🆈🅼🅸 ⏪ Banyana Banyana clinched a 3⃣➖2⃣ victory against Botswana in the three-nations challenge on Wednesday! #SABCSportFootball — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 29, 2025 Ellis welcomed back veterans Refiloe Jane, Regina Mogolola, Bambanani Mbane and Kaabo Dhlamini, who have limited time to impress before the Wafcon squad is announced in the coming weeks. 'It was good to see Refiloe and other players back after such a long time. She [Jane] ran out of legs in the second half but in the first half she was involved in the game and she controlled things nicely. 'I thought Karabo [Dhlamini] did well. She's played at centreback before and we are tying a few things out in these friendly matches. There was also Bambanani. 'You couldn't say they have been gone for a while. Having them back is a big plus for us.'
SowetanLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- SowetanLIVE
Banyana made to sweat by Botswana in friendly
Banyana Banyana started the final phase of their preparations for the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco in July with a 3-2 win over stubborn Botswana in their Tri-Nations friendly at Lucas Moripe Stadium yesterday. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis started the match geared towards build-up to South Africa's defence of their Wafcon 2022 title with veteran midfielder Refiloe Jane, who was making her return to the team for the first time in more than a year after injury. Jane, who stayed on the pitch for 70 minutes until she was replaced by Bongeka Gamede, played closely with Amogelang Motau in the heart of the midfield.
The Herald
6 days ago
- General
- The Herald
Banyana made to sweat by Botswana in Wafcon warm-up friendly
Banyana Banyana started the final phase of their preparations for the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco in July with a 3-2 win over a stubborn Botswana in their Tri-Nations friendly at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, on Wednesday. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis started the match as part of the build-up to South Africa's defence of their Wafcon 2022 title with veteran midfielder Refiloe Jane, who made her return to the team for the first time in more than a year after a career-threatening injury. Jane, who stayed on the pitch for 70 minutes until she was replaced by Bongeka Gamede, played closely with Amogelang Motau in the heart of the midfield, where she looked comfortable.
