Scoring still a problem for poor Banyana

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. Photo: Luigi Bennett

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. Photo: Luigi Bennett

Published Dec 4, 2016

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Unfortunately. Banyana Banyana interim coach Desiree Ellis said that word so often over a course of two weeks at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations in Cameroon that it almost ended up as her middle name.

With one win in five matches and a fourth-placed finish, Banyana had several unfortunate moments. When they were fortunate enough to try and score, they didn’t - they failed to score in four of their five matches - which is why they found themselves in the third-place playoff for a second successive Awcon.

“If I have to sum up this tournament, I would say goals win games,” Ellis said. “If it was decided on creating opportunities, we would win hands down.

"Unfortunately that’s not the case, and we didn’t score enough. It’s the same old story that we create chances but we don’t take them. I think that the problem is that we lack composure, especially when we are trailing.

“When you get into those high-pressure situations you need to have a calm head, which we didn’t have," she added. "We seriously have to work on that back home because we create enough chances to win.

"We wanted to return home with a medal, unfortunately that didn’t happen. But I am very proud of the girls. They never gave up.”

Banyana’s resilience at the tournament is the stuff of champions. But standing their ground against powerful opponents isn’t enough when they don’t take their chances.

Banyana could have stunned Nigeria in midweek had they been more clinical. It was the same thing with Ghana on Friday. The Black Queens had one good chance and they took it, and that’s why they head home home with a bronze medal and Banyana with nothing.

That could be a good thing for Banyana, especially heading into the next Awcon that serves as the qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup in France.

This was a rude wake-up call that they aren’t ready to rule Africa just yet. Qualifying for two successive Olympics as one of two African nations has maybe given them the impression that they are.

The outcome in Cameroon should lead to some soul-searching and better planning. Preparations were haphazard. Banyana played two friendlies against Egypt and Zimbabwe who were in their tournament group, not an ideal situation.

Safa then dragged out announcing coach Vera Pauw’s replacement. They ended up hiring Ellis on the interim basis with Maud Khumalo deputising for her.

Ellis' appointment happened just a month before Awcon, despite the organisation knowing for some time that Pauw’s contract expired after the Olympics, which ended on August 9 for Banyana.

The expedition in Cameroon wasn’t a complete waste, though, as there were a number of young players who played in their first continental tournament.

The experience they gained will stand them in good stead for Ghana 2018. The feeling of wanting to avenge the disappointment they felt in Cameroon will also linger with them for the next two years.

A place in the World Cup will change that, which can only be a good thing for the team going forward.

Weekend Argus

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