Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has urged her troops to display confidence when they lock horns with Algeria in the second leg of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier on Wednesday evening (18:30) at Stade Omar Hamadi in Algiers.
South Africa hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg that turned out to be an open and enthralling encounter at Orlando Stadium last week and might have seen more goals from both sides.
“We have to do better in our positional play. We gave the ball away a lot in the first game, and normally that is one of our general strengths. We have to be more patient and not force play in our build-ups,” said Ellis.
“We have to make sure that whatever they throw at us, we are ready for the occasion and the training session we had was based on both those aspects of the game.”
With Banyana on the verge of qualifying for AWCON, Ellis also believes her side should approach the game with caution.
“We have to make sure we are compact and organized in the first twenty minutes because that will be key. The 2-0 scoreline is dangerous, and the next goal is big, and we have to make sure it is our goal to take the pressure off,” concluded Ellis.
The top four teams at the Women’s Afcon automatically qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.
