Desiree Ellis concedes Banyana Banyana 'played under pressure' against 'difficult' Tanzania in WAFCON as Twiga Stars eye 'Ghana final'

Banyana Banyana were held to a 1-1 draw by Tanzania in their WAFCON Group C game on Friday night.

The defending champions came into the match as clear favourites owing to their quality and history against the Twiga Stars, but ended up sharing spoils.

Desiree Ellis has conceded she anticipated a tough outing with her opposite number Bakari Shime delighted with the display from his team.

Ellis concedes she anticipated a tough outing against her opponents.

“We said before the match that no game is easy, we saw the how Nigeria scored in the last minute, that’s how difficult the games are going to be, but you have to take your chances.

"We felt if we get the three points we would go through to the next round already, but it was not to be, there is still some more work to be done," she said, as quoted by the SAFA Media team.

The tactician has further lauded the Twiga Stars for putting them under pressure.

“There is no easy team anymore, they hadn’t picked up any points, we knew they needed to win at all costs, and they came with a plan.

"They made us play like a team under pressure when we were not under pressure, playing into their hands at times with the long ball, but still there is all to play for in the group."

The former international was left encouraged with the way her team fought to get a point.

“We had a good enough team to get a result, they scored early, and we had a chance to score before they could – we didn’t put it away, it is the nature of the game.

"We didn’t get the result we wanted but we are still in it. I thought the comeback was good;, we could have won it as we had a couple of chances, but that’s how the game goes.

"This team has shown they have the grit, they have the courage and the resilience to fight back and get the result that we deserve," she concluded.

Twiga Stars coach Shime is happy with his team, but feels they deserved a win. The main focus is on the final game against Ghana.

“Bravo for my girls, it was a very good game but also a tough one in both halves.

We tried to change our tactics according to the strength of the opposition, and we scored one goal, and we stayed like that for almost 50 minutes. Bad luck for us again because we conceded a goal from a set-piece, but it was a good game for both sides. I am happy with the whole team,” he stated.

“To play against South Africa is very tough. We planned around this game, and we toiled a lot, so now we have to find a way to recover very quickly, physically and mentally. Then we plan how to play against Ghana – which for us will be a final match, we should win that match," Shime concluded.

While Tanzania hopes to beat Ghana and advance to the next phase, South Africa are aware that a draw against Ghana will be enough to see them top Group C.

Banyana Banyana hope to go all the way and successfully defend their crown despite the stiff competition in Morocco.