By
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says their 1-1 draw with Tanzania proves that there is still more work to be done and that there are no easy teams participating in this edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The defending champions secured a crucial equaliser through Bambanani Mbane which saw them reclaim the top spot in Group C with 4 points.
Speaking at the post match presser, Ellis also gave credit to the Twiga Stars for putting together a solid game plan against them.
"We knew that if we captured the three points, we would progress to the next round, but it just wasn't meant to be.
"There are no 'easy' games in this competition anymore. We knew Tanzaia were going to play to stay in the competition, and they threw everything at us, so credit to them because there is still a lot to play for in this group," said the Banyana Banyana boss.
Ellis further adds that she is glad the changes made in the second half had a positive impact on the outcome of the match.
"We rushed our build-up play today, and we also utilised the long ball far too much because it isn't one of our strengths."
The 62-year-old mentor also explained why she opted to start with Kaylin Swart in goals ahead of Andile Dlamini, who kept a clean sheet in the win over Ghana.
"There are very small margins between Andile and Kaylin, and I think we are very privileged to have two top-quality goalkeepers in this country.
"For this match, we just thought that Kaylin might exploit the sides of Tanzania with her distribution."
Banyana Banyana will now shift focus to their next clash against Mali on Monday at Honneur Stadium. Ellis says they will continue to take it one game at a time and refuse to think too far ahead.
