Banyana Banyana coach Des Ellis was delighted with her side’s 2-1 victory over defending champions Nigeria on Monday that got their Group C campaign at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations off to the perfect start.
Banyana were comfortably the better side in the win as goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hildah Magaia set them on the way to victory.
“This is a very big win for us as a team. We needed to get this result because it sets the tone for the rest of the tournament,” Ellis said. “We held a meeting on our goals and ambitions before training. We want to qualify for the World Cup and win the title here.”
Banyana also beat Nigeria in the pool stages of the last tournament in 2018 but were then defeated on penalties by the Super Falcons in the final after a 0-0 draw.
“We know what happened in 2018, but we have matured over the past four years and there are changes in our team,” Ellis says.
The semifinalists in the competition all qualify for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while the losing quarterfinalists will play-off for a place in the inter-continental qualification tournament that will be held in New Zealand in February.
If Banyana top their pool they will play one of the third-best placed teams in either Groups A or B, enhancing their chances of reaching the semis and qualifying for a second successive global showpiece competition.
Credit: supersports.com
