Sasol Banyana Banyana on a light run at Thursday's training session in Polokwane.
Image: Picture: SAFA
Sasol Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has called on her squad to harness their scoring prowess in their pivotal encounter against Zimbabwe in the COSAFA Women’s Championship semi-final on Friday.
The match at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane kicks off at 3 pm. Both teams enter this knockout phase with momentum, each with 7 points, having won 2 matches and drawn 1.
Banyana Banyana secured victories against Malawi and Angola, each concluded with a convincing 2-0 score, before coming from behind to draw one-all with Lesotho.
Emphasising the significance of the upcoming match, Ellis noted: “The semi-finals are always tough, there are no second chances. Hopefully, we can put up a good performance. It’s going to be a game of small margins, so we need to keep a clean sheet. When we do, it’s always an opportunity to grab a goal or two.
“Semi-finals are never the way you think they are going to go, so we just have to make sure that we bring our A game.”
The four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and her technical staff are anticipating a formidable challenge from their neighbouring rivals. Zimbabwe emerged from Group B as the best second-placed team, finishing just behind Zambia.
Ellis has acknowledged the potent threat that Zimbabwe poses, noting their aggressive, strong, and swift style, which has marked their return to top-level competition.
“Zimbabwe have shown that they can play; they were up there, and it’s like a sleeping giant returning,” she commented. “They showed they can play very aggressively, very strongly, very quickly, so we really have to make sure that we defend really well.
“We have to make sure that when we get an opportunity now, that we take it; against Lesotho, we had a few and didn’t take them.”
The other semi-final pairing sees Zambia face Namibia at the same venue, with the match kicking off earlier at 12:00.
As the stakes rise, the two winning teams from the semi-finals will prepare for the championship showdown on Sunday at 3 pm, while the defeated sides will compete for bronze on Sunday at noon.