Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has emphasised that being the defending champions means nothing, cautioning her troops that every country has upped its game on the continent. The Banyana mentor also stressed the importance of winning the first game versus Ghana.
“What happened in the past is in the past. It’s a new tournament. The game has evolved, countries have evolved and they’ve invested a lot in making sure that their teams improve. We’re going there as a contender like everyone else. Yes, we’re the defending champions, but we’re not putting too much pressure on ourselves,” Ellis said.
“We don’t want to lose focus on what’s ahead of us. The first game is the most important because it sets the tone for the rest of the tournament … it also sets the tone where we can rotate players and make sure that when it gets to the later stages of the tournament, the players are fresh.”
Banyana’s perfect record in friendlies this year
February 22: beat Lesotho 1-0
February 24: beat Lesotho 2-0
April 5: thumped Malawi 3-0
April 8: beat Malawi 2-1
May 28: beat Botswana 3-2
June 3: beat Zambia 2-0
Banyana’s Wafcon Group B fixtures (all at Honneur Stadium in Oujda in SA time)
July 7: v Ghana (6pm)
July 11: v Tanzania (9pm)
July 14: v Mali (9pm)
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