‘Banyana Banyana must be consistent to reach Nigeria’s level’ – Ellis after Aisha Buhari Cup victory

South Africa women national team coach Desiree Ellis has claimed they need to maintain consistency in order to be considered one of the biggest teams in Africa alongside Nigeria.

Ellis made the claim despite her Banyana Banyana side beating the Nigerian side 4-2 during the Aisha Buhari Cup at Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Tuesday.

Consistency

“They [Banyana Banyana] have delivered, but we want more and more,” Ellis said during her post-match address.

“We wanted to test ourselves, and we are now duly tested, but we need to be consistent with what we do. Nigerians have been consistent over the years and we must not forget that they will be back. 

“They have proved they are good over the years and they are the best team on the African continent, and for us to be put in that bracket, we need to be consistent against bigger and better teams.”

The tactician also analysed what handed them victory against the Super Falcons.

 “I think if I look back on the game, we were in control most of the game and I thought we played at the tempo we wanted. We also made them play at the tempo we wanted them to play,” she added.

“We controlled all aspects of the game, although I thought we gave a lot of free-kicks away, which at times looked very dangerous, again, I think we handled that well. 

“Before the second half, we discussed that and we needed to stay concentrated. The two goals came quickly as we made errors because we played the way we should not have but I think the players showed a lot of character and a lot of confidence.

“We took control back as we made a couple of positional and tactical changes and it all just came together again. We managed the game very well, but the victory is not for us here in Nigeria, it is for everyone back at home, everyone involved.

“The athleticism and dynamism of the players really stood out and we knew that they would come, especially when it was 3-2, but we managed to control the pace of the game. The players were magnificently good.”

The Aisha Buhari Cup was staged in order to prepare Nigeria for the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers against their neighbours Ghana in October.