Desiree Ellis believes Banyana can bounce back against Côte d’Ivoire

By Mpumi Manyisi
31st July 2026

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says the technical team has devised a different game plan as South Africa prepare to face Côte d’Ivoire in their second group-stage match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The South African senior women’s national team will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their tournament opener on Monday.

Ellis says the team remains positive and is taking the competition one game at a time.

“Look, it is another game – a different opponent, a different challenge. We said we would take it one game at a time. Like most African teams, this is a very physical side, but we are prepared for that. We have a game plan, we’ve worked on different things in training, and we hope our plan comes together,” said Ellis.

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Ellis admits the opening defeat was disappointing but believes her side can recover, pointing out that several top teams have also stumbled early in the tournament. She says Banyana Banyana have been in similar situations before and are determined to finish the group stage strongly.

“Look, there’s always hope. We do believe we will bounce back after starting slowly. A few top teams also didn’t start well and lost their opening games. I remember the last time we played at WAFCON we drew our first game. We’ve been in this position before. We also know we should have won our first game, but now we have to move on and focus on finishing the group stage in strong fashion,” added Ellis.

The 63-year-old mentor also praised midfield playmaker Gabriela Moodaly Salgado, who is set to earn her 50th cap for the national team. Ellis says the midfielder’s resilience in returning from a long-term injury has been an inspiration to the squad.

“If I look back over the last three years, the resilience she has shown by coming back from a long-term injury has been remarkable. She returned impressively, earned a place in the World Cup squad, and then had another injury at last year’s WAFCON. I think the support structure around her has been fantastic, and she has also been a great inspiration to her teammates,” the coach expressed.