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TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
‘We'll do this for Gabi,' says Ellis as Banyana fight for bronze at Wafcon
Banyana Banyana want to at least come back from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) with the bronze medal in honour of injured teammate Gabriela Salgado. Salgado suffered a broken leg as the defending champions relinquished their crown to nine-time champions Nigeria with a 2-1 semifinal defeat in Casablanca, Morocco on Tuesday. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said they will dedicate Friday's third-place playoff game to Salgado and play for the bronze when they meet Ghana, losers on penalties in their semifinal against Morocco, at Casablanca's Stade Larbi Zaouli on Friday (9pm). The final between the hosts and Super Falcons is at Stade Olympique de Rabat on Saturday (10pm). Salgado was successfully operated on at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, but is likely to spend six months on the sidelines. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said she had to play a different role for distraught Banyana players — like midfielder Linda Motlhalo — when they could not keep hold of their emotions after Salgado's horror injury on Tuesday. 'I was a mother, and I was just trying to say to her, 'Stay calm, just do that for Gabi'. That was the talk: 'Do that for Gabi and make sure you get over the line for Gabi', because that's what it was all about at that moment. 'It was very difficult to keep them calm because a lot of them broke down. Going back onto the field I think some were still crying and I think that's really what got to them.' 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Nigeria restore their lead against Banyana Banyana. 🇳🇬 2⃣➖1⃣ 🇿🇦 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC Sport | SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 22, 2025 Saslgado's injury came late in the semifinal with the scores at 1-1 and minutes later Banyana conceded a fluke-ish goal when Michelle Azolie's speculative cross evaded Nigeria's attackers and Banyana's defenders and goalkeeper Andile Dlamini for the 94th-minute decider. Ellis accepted South Africa had failed to defend their trophy but said she is hoping her players will have recovered enough to focus and win Friday's match against Ghana. 'Look there's nothing we can do. There's two days — a recovery day and two days. Again, when we huddled after the game we said if we didn't have a reason [to win on Friday], now have a reason to play for Gabi. 'That's what it [the third-place game] is all about, to make sure she goes off with a medal and to make sure Jermaine Seoposenwe [who retires from international football after Wafcon] also goes off well. That's how important it is.' Banyana have an advantage in that they have already defeated Ghana 2-0 in this tournament in their round-robin stage opener, where Motlhalo and Seoposenwe provided the goals to set up Banyana topping Group C. Ghana also progressed to the last 8 as they finished second after their 4-1 victory over Tanzania in their final group match. The Black Queens improve as the tournament progressed and beat Algeria on penalties in the quarterfinals to set up their semifinal against Morocco, who they pushed all the way with a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes before being defeated by spot-kicks. So the Black Queens Banyana face on Feriday night should be a notably stronger combination from the side they faced in the opening game in Oujda. But Banyana have an advantage in that they didn't have to travel after their defeat against Nigeria, but Ghana had to move from Rabat to Casablanca.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Ellis believes horrific injury to Salgado distracted Banyana ahead Nigeria's last-gasp winner
Banyana Banyana were not disgraced by their 2-1 Women's Africa Cup of Nations semifinal defeat to Nigeria in Casablanca on Tuesday, South Africa coach Desiree Ellis said. The loss brought Banyana's reign as African champions to an end after they won the competition for the first time in 2022, also in Morocco. Ellis insisted on their day South Africa could have overcome the Super Falcons. She highlighted the nasty injury suffered by utility player Gabriela Salgado, with what might have been a broken chin, towards the end of the match as something that could have distracted them and led to conceding the Super Falcons' last-gasp winning goal in added time through a comedy of errors. 'I'm really proud of this team. I don't know what Salgado's injury is, but after that injury it took us a while to get going. Maybe that's the reason we conceded at the time we did,' Ellis said. The South African Football Association promised an update on Salgado but by midday on Wednesday there was still no word. The injury saw some Banyana and Nigerian players shedding tears immediately after she collapsed with seven minutes remaining in Tuesday's epic semifinal. 'I think from the reaction of the players, it was definitely bad,' Ellis said. 'I haven't received the medical report yet but on the players' side it was really bad. 'We had to calm them down, we had to make sure they stayed focused. It was really difficulty after that moment.' At the time Salgado got injured the score was level at 1-1, the Super Falcons having taken the lead through Rasheedat Ajibade's 45th-minute spot-kick and Linda Motlhalo equalising on the hour mark, also with a penalty. A cross from deep by Michelle Alozie was somehow missed by the Banyana defenders and wrong-footed goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, who concentrated on two attackers chasing the ball, for Nigeria's winner four minutes into added time. 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Nigeria restore their lead against Banyana Banyana. 🇳🇬 2⃣➖1⃣ 🇿🇦 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC Sport | SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 22, 2025 Ellis insisted Banyana could have won the game had they taken some chances they created in both halves. 'When we had the chances we did, especially the one of Noxolo [Cesane], that's really heartbreaking. 'But we showed today why we were champions. We didn't look like a team that had played 120 minutes [in their penalty shoot-out quarterfinal win against Senegal on Saturday night] in the previous match. We gave it as good as they did. 'After the first few minutes where Dlamini had to make a double save, we had our own half-chances for Jermaine [Seoposenwe] and Hildah [Magaia]. 'And their winner was just a freakish goal and those are the ones you can't defend. Those are crosses that you can't defend. 'We said the crosses were going to come and they scored from one of them. I don't think, looking at our performance, that we deserved to lose but one team had to lose.' Banyana were disadvantaged by playing their quarter against Senegal that went to extra time in Oujda on Saturday, while Nigeria had an extra day to prepare for the semifinal having beaten Zambia 5-0 on Friday. South Africa also had to travel 600km from Oujda to Casablanca, while the Super Falcons remained at the same venue. 'It's about getting over that line and today we had a team that had less recovery time. We travelled and that gave Nigeria an extra day. But what I'm proud of is today we didn't look like a team that had played 120 minutes,' Ellis said. 'The way we moved the ball around, I thought it was pure joy and we had Nigeria chasing shadows. I don't think that we deserved to lose today. If we had taken our chances, I think we would be speaking differently now.' Banyana have pride to salvage when they meet Ghana in the third-place play-off in Casablanca on Friday (9pm).
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Ellis wary of fatigue ahead of Banyana semifinal clash against Nigeria
Having played 120 minutes against Senegal before winning their quarterfinal 4-1 on penalties on Saturday, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is concerned about fatigue. South Africa meet Nigeria in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations of Nations semifinals on Tuesday (6pm, SA time) at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, Morocco. Banyana struggled to overcome the tough Lionesses of Terenga until penalties came to the rescue with goalkeeper Andile Dlamini saving two of them. The tough south-vs-west battle in Oujda had ended in a goalless draw after extra time. Nigeria thumped Zambia 5-0 in their quarterfinal on Friday. 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓: Bambanani Mbane converts and send Banyana Banyana to the semi-finals! 🇿🇦 ✅✅✅✅ 🇸🇳 ✅ ❌❌ 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2025 The semifinal between the two powerhouses of African women's football will be hugely anticipated after South Africa beat record 11-time winners Nigeria in the group stage of the 2022 Wafcon, also in Morocco, on the way to Banyana's first title. The 2-1 loss was the Super Falcons' first in the group stages in 20 years. Ellis is concerned her team night not have had enough time to recover for the matchup on Tuesday. 'We are not thinking about Nigeria right now, we will think about the next match tomorrow [on Sunday]. Let's celebrate what we have done,' Ellis said after Saturday's match. 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓: Andile Dlamini once again denies Senegal! 🇿🇦 ✅✅✅ 🇸🇳 ✅ ❌❌ 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2025 'We won't overthink anything because we want to celebrate what we have done. As a technical team, we are already standing on one side talking about how we are going to plan and how we are going to prepare because 120 minutes with a day less to prepare and a day to travel takes a lot [out of everyone].' Ellis praised Banyana's resilience against Senegal and hopes to see the same against Nigeria. 'We have been practising penalties and we knew who our kickers were going to be and that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew Andile could save one or two; she had done [that] before. 'This was our first penalty shoot-out victory in the Wafcon. We lost it in the 2006 and 2018 finals. I don't have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude and the willingness to fight for each other. 'No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.'
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Ellis hails Banyana's grit after shootout triumph over Senegal
Andile Dlamini is mobbed by teammates after her two penalty saves sent Banyana Banyana into the WAFCON semi-finals. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis cut a calm but proud figure on Saturday night after guiding her team to the semi-finals of the CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following a 4-1 penalty shootout win over Senegal. It was a tense evening at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, where the defending champions were made to work hard for their place in the final four. After a goalless 120 minutes of football, South Africa held their nerve in the shootout — and Ellis was full of praise for how her side managed the pressure. 'I said the game was not going to be easy,' she reflected after the match. 'I said it was going to be a difficult game because of the group they were in and how they got out — and we didn't expect anything less.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Banyana struggled to find their rhythm early on, something the coach acknowledged. 'The first 15 minutes we showed a bit of nerves, trying to get into the game,' Ellis said. 'But once we settled, we nullified the threat — their two tall strikers.' Senegal's aerial presence and direct play posed problems, but Ellis was pleased with how her defence coped. 'We dealt very well with their long ball, but sometimes we gave the ball away too cheaply. Senegal have improved from the last time we played them — their coach has done a fantastic job.' The turning point came in the penalty shootout, where goalkeeper Andile Dlamini made two crucial saves. 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓: Bambanani Mbane converts and send Banyana Banyana to the semi-finals! 🇿🇦 ✅✅✅✅ 🇸🇳 ✅ ❌❌ 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC 3 📱 #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2025 'We have been practising penalties, and we knew who our kickers were going to be — that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew that Andile could save one or two — she's done it before,' said Ellis. It was a historic moment for Banyana — their first ever penalty shootout win in WAFCON history. 'This was our first penalty shootout victory at WAFCON — we lost in 2006 and again in the 2018 final,' Ellis recalled. 'I don't have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willingness to fight for each other. No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.' South Africa will now face old rivals Nigeria in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Casablanca — a fixture steeped in continental history. But Ellis isn't looking too far ahead just yet. 'We are not thinking about Nigeria right now — we'll think about the next match tomorrow. Let's celebrate what we have done,' she said. Banyana will now leave Oujda — a city they have called home for the past 16 days — and make their way to the Moroccan capital, where their title defence will face its sternest test yet. In the other semi-final, hosts Morocco will take on Ghana.
TimesLIVE
17-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Banyana peaking at the right time as Wafcon knockout stages loom
Banyana Banyana midfielder Gabriela Salgado says they are peaking at the right time at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco, where they have a quarterfinal clash against Senegal on Saturday. South Africa started the tournament with a 2-0 win over Ghana where they played in patches and followed that with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Tanzania. They wrapped up the group stages with a convincing 4-0 victory over Mali that signalled Banyana's intent to defend their 2022 title. Coach Desiree Ellis's team meet unpredictable Senegal, who progressed to the knockout stage as one of the three best third-placed finishers, at Stade d'Honneur in Oujda (9pm SA time), where they played all three group games. Banyana Banyana defender Gabriela Salgado says they know what is at stake and will make sure that they stick to the game plan when they face Senegal in the WAFCON quarterfinal on Saturday. 📹 SAFA #SABCSportFootball — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 17, 2025 'We did have a bumpy start but its normal in a tournament. We came from our clubs and we have worked very hard to implement what the coach worked on at training,' Salgado said. 'Some days things didn't go according to plan but our hard work on the training field paid off. Things came together at the perfect time and we are ready for the remainder of the tournament. 'We know what is expected of us, we understand each other much better and we are going to give our best to progress to the next round. 'We are going to need each other and support from South Africans back home. We will go out there to give our best and hopefully get the result we want.' 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Ronnel Donnelly makes if four for Banyana Banyana! 🇿🇦 4⃣➖0⃣ 🇲🇱 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 14, 2025 Salgado said South Africa have a good idea of what to expect from Senegal, who lost two and won one of their group-stage matches. 'We have watched clips of their games because we do a lot of video sessions to analyse opposition, so we have a good game plan going into the mach. 'We have to go out there and stick to the plan. It is a crucial game. We have the country expecting us to do well and we also owe it to ourselves because we want to defend the title.' Salgado missed out on the last Wafcon due to injury and is happy to have made her tournament debut. 'It is an honour being here. It has not been an easy tournament because every team has come out to beat us but we have stood together and we are in the quarterfinal stage.'
