South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, the female national football team, suffered a 0-1 loss to Nigeria’s Super Falcons during the first leg of the final round of the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers.
The match took place on Friday night at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria.
Despite the loss, Coach Desiree Ellis remains optimistic, describing the game as just half time and highlighting the team’s determination to win the return leg in South Africa.
The game’s only goal was a penalty converted by Nigeria’s captain Rasheedat Ajibade in the 42nd minute.
Ellis praised her team’s efforts and reiterated that a game against Nigeria is never an easy one. She noted that the team lost some chances but is proud of their performance.
She also pointed out that plenty of players are coming back from injuries and did not play for the entire 90 minutes, so they will be better prepared for the second leg.
Ellis added that defensively, her team was very sound, except for the penalty that was conceded.
She plans to review the video footage to see how they can exploit their opponent’s weaknesses in the next game.
The return leg will be held at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday, and the South African team will fly back to Johannesburg on Saturday morning to prepare for the game.
The loss was a disappointment for Banyana Banyana, but they still have a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
All eyes will be on the upcoming match as both teams battle it out to secure their place in the prestigious tournament.
