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BANYANA COACH WANTS TO FINISH OFF EQUATORIAL GUINEA

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Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis during the 2018  African Womens Cup of Nations match between South Africa and Nigeria
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis during the 2018 African Womens Cup of Nations match between South Africa and Nigeria
Sydney Mahlangu / BackpagePix

A JOURNEY of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes defeating Nigeria in their opening 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match in Ghana was the giant step they needed to take.

Banyana beat the Super Falcons 1-0 on Sunday in their Women’s Afcon clash – their second win against the West Africans, with the first coming back in 2012.

The first win against the Super Falcons came in the semifinal of the same competition when Janine van Wyk was on target for Banyana.

Ellis’ charges came to Ghana with a mission – to not only to defeat the reigning champions Nigeria but also finish in the top three at the tournament, which also serves as 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

Banyana have qualified for the Olympic Games twice, in 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup remains the only international event they have yet to compete in. They are determined to book their tickets to France for next year’s world showpiece from 7 June till 7 July.

“This is the first step,” said Ellis.

“We knew it was important for us to win the first match of the tournament. I must say, there was a bit of a scare in the first half when we lacked concentration. But other than that we were disciplined. You can’t blame players for celebrating, it was a moment to remember, but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”

Banyana are now tied on three points with Zambia in Group B. They need two more victories to ensure they reach the semifinals.

With whipping girls Equatorial Guinea waiting in the wings at the Cape Coast Stadium tomorrow (8.30pm SA time), Ellis says it is a must-win for them.

She said: “The job has only begun. We have to win our next game. We don’t want to leave anything to chance. It is important that we remain disciplined, play according to instructions to ensure we get all the points.

“It’s a big game for us. We will need to show up as they will be fired up after losing by a big margin to Zambia (5-0). Our strikers need to do their job – score goals.”

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