Durban — Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has given insight into the atmosphere her side faced following their 2-1 Women’s African Cup of Nations (Wafcon) win over Morocco in Rabat last weekend.
Banyana weathered the storm to beat the home team in front of their own fans. Ellis has suggested that the atmosphere was hostile to her team at the start of the game before gradually becoming more subdued as her side clawed their way to victory.
“We could not hear when the national anthem was playing. We sang at the top of our voices. People were doing the thumbs down. After we scored the first goal, there was a bit of quietness. After we scored the second goal, there was dead silence. The resilience of the team was outstanding,” said Ellis during an interview with 5FM.
For Ellis, the tournament was a case of third time lucky. After taking over the national team, she led the side to a fourth place finish at the 2016 edition of the tournament. That was followed up by a runners-up finish at the 2018 edition before finally winning it this year.
“There was a lot of screaming and celebration. I don’t think I’ve slept for two days. From the word go, the ambition was to qualify for the World Cup. Even when there were a lot of challenges, the players stood together which was the most important thing,” said Ellis.
The officiating in the final drew a lot of criticism with an unusual decision taking place of nine minutes of second half stoppage time being added.
“When the nine minutes were added, I wondered where it came from. I think they made a mistake. I think the referee played six. After it was all over, there was pandemonium, celebrations and tears of joy.” said Ellis.
One of the breakout stars for Banyana in the tournament was 18-year-old Nthabiseng Majiya, the youngest player in Ellis’ squad. Majiya scored the only goal of the game in the hard-fought 1-0 group stage win over Botswana.
“We were under pressure when the goal came. I knew that when I scored, the team would play. It meant a lot for my friends and family to score my first goal,” said Majiya.
The teenager admitted that she did not expect the strong appreciation that Banyana Banyana are receiving from the public as a result of their achievement.
“I was not expecting all of this. I’m really excited that South Africans are standing by us and I am grateful to them for supporting us,” added Majiya.
IOL Sport