Bayana Bayana of South Africa head coach, Desiree Ellis, praised her team’s character and determination in their 1-0 victory over Tunisia to qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the semi-final of WAFCON 2022.
Speaking at the post match press conference Ellis said “We have played much better in previous matches but tonight, the tension of what was at stake affected the players and they made mistakes. Nobody wanted to put their feet on the ball and take the pressure off.”
Striker Jermaine Seoposenwe gave the South Africans a 14th minute lead and they went on to create and miss a lot of chances in that first half and early in the second half. Those misses encouraged Tunisia to go looking for the equaliser.
“We will certainly play better in the semi-final” Ellis says with an assurance that can only come from knowing the players she has, “The ultimate goal for us here has been to qualify for the World Cup and we have done that. So, now I expect them to recover, relax and play our normal game in the semi-final.”
South Africa will play Zambia in the semi-final in Casablanca on Monday the 18th of July.
Calvin Emeka Onwuka in Rabat, Morocco
