Banyana Banyana coach rues missed chances in WAFCON opener

Diana Mswewa found the back of the net in the 38th minute for Twigga Stars, with Bambanani Mbane getting an equaliser for Banyana right before half time but Hasnath Ubamba secured the win for the East African side right before the 90th minute.

Ellis says they are disappointed with their performance.

"It was always going to be a difficult game but I always said how important this opening match was going to be because if you lose you are then chasing in the group. Our tempo was slow and we had limited options going forward. I thought the second half performance was much better but the way we conceded was poor. It was not a great performance and we know we are better than that."

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Ellis had made it clear right before the match that it was essential for them to start the tournament with a win.

She says even though they performed well in the second half, she was concerned by how they started the game.

Banyana’s next two matches against Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso are now a must win if they are to make it to the knockout stage.

The 63-year-old believes they can bounce back and also talks about the strengths of Côte d'Ivoire.

"We are now chasing in the group and it's up to us to raise our standards and show who we really are. Côte d'Ivoire is going to be another big challenge again with their physicality. One positive we can take from this game against Tanzania is the amount of opportunities created. Defensively, there are some screws we can tighten there and we'll have to be at our best on Friday."