Desiree Ellis: Japan defeat exposes key lessons ahead of WAFCON

South Africa will face Japan again on Tuesday 9 June, as Ellis continues preparations for this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Ellis says the technical team has already identified key areas that need improvement ahead of the second encounter.

"We learn a lot more from a defeat than we do with a win. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from today. Japan were excellent, they pounced on every mistake and they were clinical in front of goal. Our effort was there, but these are the tests we want."

READ: Steven Pienaar hints at major Ajax-linked youth project in Africa

Ellis says after facing top African opposition such as Morocco and Algeria, it was equally important for the team to test themselves against a tactically disciplined Asian side like Japan in order to gain different lessons from the international friendlies.

The 63-year-old mentor adds that detailed match analysis will help the technical team better prepare for the second friendly, with the focus remaining on implementing a solid tactical approach.

"We'll obviously study the post-match analysis and see what we did well and where we fell short. There's not a lot of time, only two days before the next game and hopefully we'll come up with a tactical plan."