Banyana Banyana’s Desiree Ellis frustrated by her team’s failure to capitalise on chances created against Argentina in their Women’s World Cup game.
Goals from Linda Motlhalo and Thembi Kgatlana put South Africa firmly in control, but failure to manage the game effectively allowed Sophia Braun to halve the deficit before Romina Nunez ensured thespoils were shared.
However, Banyana Banyana coach Ellis strongly believes it would not have been the case if only her team would have taken the many chances they created.
“That’s the problem – we don’t take our chances. It comes back to haunt us every time,” Ellis said as quoted by the BBC.
“How many chances did we create? How many final third entries did we have that we did not complete? We were in complete control of the game and we just needed to finish it off.
“We lost the ball a lot in certain areas. It’s criminal. It hurts a lot. We have to take responsibility – it has to be better.
“That was a great opportunity to put us a step ahead [in the group] but it is not all lost. We have put ourselves in this position by not taking our chances.”
Despite the frustration, South Africa have now collected their first-ever Women’s World Cup point after playing five matches.
They made their debut in the competition four years ago in France but lost all their group matches to crash out.
Four years later, they have shown much improvement and despite losing their first game against Sweden 2-1, they were lauded for how well they played against one of women’s football’s powerhouses.
The draw against Argentina on Friday leaves the 2022 Wafcon Champions with slim hopes of making it to the knockout phase.
They sit third on the table with a point, two less than Sweden and Italy, while Argentina are at the bottom of Group G, also with a solitary point on the board after two matches.
Banyana turn their focus to Wednesday’s assignment against Italy knowing they must win to stand a chance of advancing.
Goal
