Two-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year Desiree Ellis says all credit must go to the Banyana Banyana squad and the technical team before dedicating the 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification to the South African supporters.
Ellis stepped up to the press conference in a relatively calm mood despite having led the nation to back-to-back World Cups and on the day where she was named on the final list of the Coach of the Year award once more.
Knowing there’s still the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title to play for, she refused to get carried away by the occasion but rather take the time to be mindful that millions of people in the country were not even able to watch the game.
“Look it’s never about me, it’s always about the team first, we’re a team. As Jermaine said, the squad we selected was versatile and each and everyone fights for each other, the technical staff is fantastic, the support staff is fantastic,” Ellis said in the post-match press conference at the Moulay Hassan Stadium on Thursday evening.
“Credit must go to all of them. But this victory… is for everyone back home, the situation back home is not fantastic. You know there’s a lot of load-shedding back home, people without electricity and some of them might not even have seen the game so this victory is for that 50-odd million person out there.
“We receive so many messages, personally and on social media and this is for everyone back home, because of the support we’ve been getting, the coaches, the players that have come before – this is for everyone.”
Banyana have been one of the most creative sides at the continental event but their composure in front of goal has been one of the few negatives thus far – Ellis was mindful that the pressure of securing a place at New Zealand and Australia 2023 perhaps played its role in their uncharacteristic second-half display where they struggled to keep hold of the ball.
“Not happy with the performance, as the game went on, obviously players look at the clock, start panicking, doing silly things and we tried to calm them down a lot – that’s why we changed the formation slightly from to sitters, just to take a little bit of control back,” he continued.
“But yet we couldn’t even hold onto the ball, which is our strength, the pressure became so much and the more we saying put your foot on the ball and play the more they want to get the ball away and not in front of their goal and in that way you make a lot of mistakes, so I think the pressure is off now having qualified – because when you lose here you practically have to go the other route and you don’t wanna go that route.
“I think towards the end, that went through their minds and even though we tried to calm them down, that didn’t happen but as you said we’re going to the World Cup, so that’s a weight off their shoulders and we can now continue and prepare for the next game.”
Banyana face COSAFA rivals Zambia in the semi-finals on Monday while tournament hosts Morocco match up against eight-time winners of the competition, Nigeria.
Story by Lorenz Kohler from Morocco.
