Nigeria has been performing well in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), scoring nine times in four matches thus far, but that’s not a concern for Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis ahead of their semifinal clash at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, tonight (6pm).
Ellis said there was no need for extra motivation for the match, but that she will leave no stone unturned to make sure Banyana go all the way.
“Nigeria is a familiar team that we’ve played against over the last couple of years. We travelled yesterday [Sunday] and today [Monday], and we will have our final training session [tomorrow], and there’s not much you can do in one day,” Ellis told a press conference yesterday.
“But there are a few things that you can tweak, and a few things that you can work on. The technical team has been really busy behind the scenes and leaving no stone unturned, so I think you don’t need motivation for a semifinal, and we are ready for the game.”
Ellis also felt that past results would count for nothing in the semifinal but admitted that they would have to be on top of their game after a less-than-convincing performance against Senegal in the quarterfinal, where Banyana required a penalty shoot-out to win.
“I don’t think past results mean a lot because it’s a different tournament and it’s three years down the line (since Banyana last played Nigeria),” she said.