Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has lifted the lid on what led to her side’s 2-1 defeat against Tanzania in their 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON] Group B opener on Monday night.
The match between Banyana and their neighbours, Tanzania, took place at Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco.
Tanzania broke the deadlock in the 37th minute through Diana Msewa, before defender Bambanani Mbane scored a header in first-half stoppage time to pull South Africa level. However, Hasnath Mbamba snatched a winner in the 87th minute to secure all three points for the Twiga Stars.
Reflecting on the setback, Ellis admitted that Banyana started the clash on the back foot and lacked sharpness in front of goal.
DESIREE ELLIS ON SLOW TEMPO AND LACK OF COMPOSURE
“Look, I always said it was going to be a difficult game. In the first half, we were a little bit slow in our tempo, and there were very few options going forward. They then scored, and we managed to equalise,” said Ellis in a post-match interview.
“I thought the second half was much better. We created a lot of opportunities, but the way we conceded was very poor. If we had more composure in front of goal, we would be speaking differently.”
‘WE DISAPPOINTED THE PEOPLE BACK AT HOME’: DESIREE ELLIS
The four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year did not hide her frustration regarding the team’s overall display, expressing regret over letting down South African supporters.
“It was not a great performance and not a great result. We know we are better than that. We are disappointed about the result and the performance as well,” she added.
“We are disappointed in ourselves and that we disappointed the people back at home. But the effort they put in during the second half could have easily led to a win and an equaliser. We could have defended better and gotten a lot of shots on target.”
MUST-WIN GAMES FOR BANYANA
With two crucial group matches remaining, the pressure is now on South Africa to turn their campaign around and keep their 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive.
“Now, the next two games become must-win games, and that’s what we said in the beginning,” Ellis emphasised. “However, we are still in it, and we still want to qualify for the World Cup; it’s a must-win in the next game.”
Banyana’s next assignment will be against Ivory Coast on Friday, 31 July. The match will kick off at 19:00 [South African time], at the Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca, Morocco.
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