Desiree Ellis, the coach of South Africa’s women’s national football team, Bayana Bayana, has characterized their 0-1 defeat to Nigeria’s Super Falcons as “just halftime.”
Ellis emphasized that the first leg of the final round of Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers in Abuja was only the first half of the tie, with much still to be played for in the return leg in South Africa.
A penalty converted by Nigeria’s captain Rasheedat Ajibade in the 43rd minute was the sole difference between the two sides.
Despite the loss, Ellis commended her team’s efforts, noting that facing Nigeria is always a challenging task.
“We knew it was going to be a tight game. We missed a couple of chances, and the penalty decided the game. The match is not over, but I am very proud of the team,” Ellis said.
“We need to have a look at the video footage and see where we can exploit because I thought that defensively we were very sound up until that penalty, we created a couple of chances.
READ ALSO: Nigeria beats South Africa 1-0 in Olympic soccer qualifier
“We also have lots of players coming from injury and not playing out 90 minutes. They will be better in the second leg.
“So for us, it’s just half time, we will be better in the next half,” she said.
Credible News reports that attention has immediately shifted to Tuesday’s return leg at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
The Banyana will fly back to Johannesburg on Saturday morning while the Super Falcons will fly out of Lagos to South Africa on Sunday night.
Credible news.ng