×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Ellis warns Banyana not to get carried away by favourites tag

Coach confident SA can upset Nigeria in Awcon opener

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Banyana Banyana training in Morocco ahead of the Africa Women's Cup of Nations on the weekend.
Banyana Banyana training in Morocco ahead of the Africa Women's Cup of Nations on the weekend.
Image: Twitter

Banyana Banyana are heading into the Africa Womens Cup of Nations (Awcon) as one of the favourites.

However, coach Desiree Ellis has cautioned her troops against thinking being favourites means it will be a walk in the park for them. The tournament will be hosted by Morocco from July 2-23. Banyana are in Group C alongside fellow favourites and defending champions Nigeria. Debutants Botswana and Burundi are also in SAs pool.

“The team has grown a lot since the last edition [hosted by Ghana in 2018]. It would be naive of us to go to a tournament and not set a goal of winning it... we know we are one of the favourites. Weve been runners-up five times, so were favourites but that doesnt mean we must think itll be easy for us,” Ellis said.

“We cant go there and underestimate opponents. We have debutants in our group in Botswana [who beat them in the Olympic qualifiers in 2019] and Burundi. Theyre both good countries who can beat any team, so I will continue to stress to the players that nothing will be easy. Burundi beat Tanzania [in the qualifiers]... Senegal beat Mali recently.”

Elliss charges face Nigeria, who beat them on penalties in the final of the last edition, in their first game of the tournament at Rabats Stade Moulay Hassan on Monday (6pm SA time). The four countries to reach the semifinals qualify for next years Fifa World Cup, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

The Banyana coach is expecting a close contest against the Super Falcons. Banyana outshone Nigeria 4-2 in the Aisha Buhari Cup final in September last year and this gives Ellis hope that they can upset the Awcon champions again.

“The first thing we must do is to avoid conceding because were always going to create chances. Its going to be a very tight battle. The Aisha Cup showed we have quality but weve been lacking the consistency and Nigeria have always had that consistency,” said Ellis. 

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.