Bayana Bayana of South Africa coach, Desiree Ellis described the victory over Super Falcons of Nigeria as a big win for them.
Ellis’ side beat Falcons 2-1 in their Group C opener of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
She said the win is a big morale boost for them in the camp and added that they want to win the championship and also qualify for the World Cup.
Ellis revealed they forced Nigeria to change their tactics which truly work for her side.
“We forced them [Nigeria] to play long balls. We knew we could force them to make mistakes at the back which they did, the players delivered our plans.”
“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 continued. “We had a meeting before we started training to talk about our goals and ambitions.
“We want to qualify for the World Cup and win the title here. We know what happened in 2018, but we have matured over the past four years and there are changes in our team. Jermaine played about four positions today. That is the versatility we have now as a team.
“This victory is for everyone back home and for all the coaches. This is for everyone connected to women’s football back home,” she said.
Written by James Favour