Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis cut a calm but proud figure on Saturday night after guiding her team to the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following a 4-1 penalty shootout win over Senegal.
It was a tense evening at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, where the defending champions were made to work hard for their place in the final four. After a goalless 120 minutes of football, South Africa held their nerve in the shootout — and Ellis was full of praise for how her side managed the pressure.
“I said the game was not going to be easy,” she reflected after the match.
“I said it was going to be a difficult game because of the group they were in and how they got out — and we didn’t expect anything less.”
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Banyana struggled to find their rhythm early on, something the coach acknowledged.
“The first 15 minutes we showed a bit of nerves, trying to get into the game,” Ellis said. “But once we settled, we nullified the threat — their two tall strikers.”
Senegal’s aerial presence and direct play posed problems, but Ellis was pleased with how her defence coped.
“We dealt very well with their long ball, but sometimes we gave the ball away too cheaply. Senegal have improved from the last time we played them — their coach has done a fantastic job.”
The turning point came in the penalty shootout, where goalkeeper Andile Dlamini made two crucial saves.
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“We have been practising penalties, and we knew who our kickers were going to be — that’s why we made the changes we made. We always knew that Andile could save one or two — she’s done it before,” said Ellis.
It was a historic moment for Banyana — their first ever penalty shootout win in WAFCON history.
“This was our first penalty shootout victory at WAFCON — we lost in 2006 and again in the 2018 final,” Ellis recalled.
“I don’t have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willingness to fight for each other. No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.”
South Africa will now face old rivals Nigeria in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Casablanca — a fixture steeped in continental history. But Ellis isn’t looking too far ahead just yet.
“We are not thinking about Nigeria right now — we’ll think about the next match tomorrow. Let’s celebrate what we have done,” she said.
Banyana will now leave Oujda — a city they have called home for the past 16 days — and make their way to the Moroccan capital, where their title defence will face its sternest test yet.
In the other semi-final, hosts Morocco will take on Ghana.
