Banyana Banyana head coach, Desiree Ellis, has emphasized the significance of securing a spot in the Olympics, urging her team to take charge in the upcoming second leg against Super Falcons.
Following a narrow 1-0 defeat in the first leg in Abuja, Banyana Banyana face an uphill task to qualify for their third Olympic appearance. The South African team will need to overcome the deficit when they host Nigeria at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday.
While acknowledging the importance of the fixture, Ellis stressed that her team does not require external motivation to realize the significance of the match. “Going to the Olympics is huge so you don’t need motivation to lift yourself. You don’t need motivation to change your mentality,” Ellis said.
Ellis further outlined her team’s strategy for the crucial encounter, stating, “But it’s now up to us to take the game to them and make sure that we score and also make sure that we’re settled in defence and we don’t concede. They don’t have to come (and attack), they can sit back but the onus is on us (to attack).”
With the prospect of joining world champions Spain, Brazil, and Japan in Group C in Paris, Banyana Banyana will be aiming to capitalize on the home advantage and deliver a performance that will secure their Olympic qualification. Ellis concluded, “We’re going back to familiar surroundings and we hope to take the game to them.”
