Banyana ‘must shift up a gear’
Banyana Banyana coach Des Ellis says she expects an improved performance from her side when they take on North Korea in the Cyprus Cup on Friday‚ but also hailed their character in battling back to draw 2-2 with Finland.
SA twice came from behind to claim the draw with the Fins as a Leandra Smeda penalty and Thembi Kgatlana equaliser earned them a credible result against a side positioned 20 places above them in the Fifa World Rankings.
The North Koreans‚ on paper‚ look an even greater challenge as they sit at No 11 on the global list‚ though they surprisingly failed in their bid to reach the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France.
Ellis was pleased that Banyana were able to overcome a nervous first half with an experimental side and the introduction of Kgatlana and Linda Motlhalo after the break had a big impact.
“In the first 15-20 minutes we didn’t start well again.
“When we did get the ball we looked a bit rushed and should have held onto it and passed it around a bit more‚” Ellis said.
“When we did start to do that it looked a lot better and we had a fantastic chance just before halftime with Rhoda [Mulaudzi] being put through‚ but unfortunately she didn’t score.
“It looked easier to score than to miss and those are the chances that will come very few and far between against some teams and we have to take them.
“The second half went much better. But again‚ poor marking conceded the second goal‚ poor marking and not tracking the player.”
Ellis handed second caps to defender Tiisetso Makhubela and midfielder Karabo Dhlamini‚ and says both grew into the game as it went on as she continues to assess her World Cup squad options.
Ellis says there will be little time for rest with their North Korea clash looming large on Friday.
“It comes thick and fast. “You have to mentally switch on and be physically ready. We have to show character – we are playing a much higher-ranked team.
“For us it is important to get our game-plan right and for the players to execute better.” –