Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says that it will take a while for her players to recover from the disappointment of not qualifying for yet another Olympics tournament after they fell in the last hurdle against Nigeria at the Loftus Stadium on Tuesday night.
The South Africans failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after a goalless draw with Nigeria saw the West Africans win the two-legged tie 1-0 on aggregate.
The South African senior women’s team came into this match trailing 0-1. This after a defeat in the first leg in Abuja, Nigeria, last week. And Ellis needed to find a way past the stubborn visitors.
Elusive goal
But the Sasol-sponsored side struggled to push forward in the first half. They also struggled to find the elusive goal that would have brought them back into the game. The home side went into halftime with no shots on target, with Nigeria doing well to contain them.
The two sides went into the break deadlocked at 0-0, with the Super Falcons leading 1-0 on aggregate.
“We knew we needed to score early, and we led with three players in attack. We did not start well and did not go at them as much as we wanted to,” a distraught Ellis said after the game.
“But later, we threw the kitchen sink at them, but that elusive goal just did not come. We are disappointed, and the fans as well, but we are proud of this team. We tried everything and played with three at the back to push players forward.
A big disappointment for our women’s football
“It’s not about me, it’s about the team and the group. We have not qualified for the Olympics yet again. It’s a big disappointment for our women’s football, like in 2020 when we wasted numerous chances. It will take a while to recover from this situation,” added Ellis.
It was a bittersweet moment for Lebohang Ramalepe, who won her 100th cap during the match. A disappointed Ellis apologised to the player for not marking the milestone with a victory. The coach further expressed her disappointment with the outcome of the game.
“We knew that coming into this game we needed to score. We also knew that we needed to score as early as possible because the longer the game went on, we became desperate. We did not start well, we changed the formation slightly because we needed to score,” said Ellis.
Couple of changes in the second half did not help
“We did not go forward as much as we wanted to in the first half. With a couple of changes in the second half, and we threw the kitchen sink at them. Unfortunately, that elusive goal did not go in. And for that, we are very disappointed,” added Ellis.
Said captain Refiloe Jane: “It was a huge disappointment and a heartache. The group has worked hard, and it has been a long journey. To get such a disappointment at the last hurdle hurts very much. We can only focus on what lies ahead. There is still the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup to play for,” she added.
