Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is content with the team’s progress ahead of the Women’ Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) tournament that will take place in Morocco in July after they defeated Algeria 1-0 in an international friendly match at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu on Tuesday.
Nthabiseng Majiya found the back of the net in the 35th minute with a delightful goal from the edge of the penalty box, giving the Algerian goalkeeper no chance.
Missed chances
Banyana had several chances to increase their lead but could not convert them, and the match ended with the solitary strike. This was the first of two friendly fixtures between the two countries, who are using the exercise to ramp up preparations for the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) that has been postponed to July.
South Africa will next be in action on Friday when they face Algeria in the second clash of the two-match series at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi. Kickoff is at 3pm.
Room for improvement
“I am happy with the result, but we can still improve on the performance. But it was not an easy game, as we have not played together since last year. Yes, some were involved in the COSAFA Cup but not all of them, so it was important to give other players minutes. This was also key because local players have not played league football, with the exception of Linda in Scotland and Hilda in Spain,” said Banyana coach Desree Ellis.
“We will obviously look at what we are going to do in the next game because we want to utilise these matches not just to play these players but to work on other things in the game.”
The first clash against Algeria was also a game that marked South African defender Bambanani Mbane’s 100th appearance for the country. She made her debut in 2016 in a 3-0 win over Botswana at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa and becomes the 12th Banyana Banyana player to reach the milestone.
- Banyana Banyana defeated Algeria 1-0 in an international friendly ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in July.
- Nthabiseng Majiya scored the winning goal in the 35th minute with a strike from the edge of the penalty box.
- Coach Desiree Ellis is pleased with the team's progress but acknowledges the need for improvement, especially as many players have not played together recently.
- The teams will face each other again on Friday in the second friendly match at King Zwelithini Stadium to further prepare for Wafcon.
- Defender Bambanani Mbane celebrated her 100th cap for South Africa during the match, becoming the 12th player to reach this milestone.
“I am happy with the result, but we can still improve on the performance. But it was not an easy game, as we have not played together since last year. Yes, some were involved in the COSAFA Cup but not all of them, so it was important to give other players minutes.
“We will obviously look at what we are going to do in the next game because we want to utilise these matches not just to play these players but to work on other things in the game.”
