Banyana are the best team in Africa but need a trophy to prove it

With their place at the CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations confirmed, South Africa coach Desiree Ellis says claiming a first-ever title is the only objective for Africa’s most in-form team.

Banyana Banyana sealed their place at the tournament in Morocco with a 3-1 aggregate win over Algeria, joining Nigeria and Cameroon as the only sides to have appeared in each of the tournament’s 12 editions so far.

Two goals, from Hilda Magaia and Thembi Kgatlana, in the first leg had given the Ellis’ side a handy advantage going into the second leg. It was one they would not relinquish, as Linda Motlhalo’s second half penalty kick cancelled out Sylia Kuoi’s strike on the stroke of halftime.

The result — added to a 13-0 aggregate win over Mozambique in the first round of qualifiers — meant the South African women will go into the tournament in July as Africa’s most in-form side.

Last November, they showed that their good form was no fluke when they beat both West African powerhouses Nigeria and Ghana to win the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament in Nigeria.

But Ellis has shaken off the plaudits from that triumph, saying only a win in Morocco would cement Banyana’s place as the best team in Africa.

“The African title is a big missing piece,” she told ESPN. “We have been runners up, I think five times, and 2018 was most probably the closest. The game in the Final could have gone either way, and penalties is always a lottery.

“We cannot say we are the best team in Africa until we are champions of Africa.”

Despite their experience at the tournament, with 12 appearances and five Final appearances, the South African women have never won the title, with Nigeria claiming nine titles and Equatorial Guinea the other two.

Ellis says that the tournament in November gave them the opportunity to assess where they were in relation to the likes of the Super Falcons.

Ellis said: “With Nigeria having been too so many finals before, they obviously have more experience than us but this team is growing and evolving. The more you play together the better it becomes.

“It was a good test for us to get to that tournament to see where we are at. The most important thing was to come to the tournament to win games. After that, the players realized that they could up their level. Our goal was to test ourselves there and to see what we still needed to work on.”

Although the AWCON will feature an expanded format of 12 teams for the first time, CAF’s new regional qualification format means that two of Africa’s top five teams, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, who had to compete for one spot with Nigeria, have been eliminated. Former champions Equatorial Guinea also fell by the way side, losing 3-7 on aggregate to Tunisia.

This leaves the tournament with four debutants, three teams making their second appearance, one making their third and one making their fourth. Nigeria and Cameroon are thus left as the toughest tests that Banyana will have to face.

But Ellis is under no illusion that it will be an easy tournament: “I think it is not going to be as easy as people think. Having a 12-team tournament and the format, you could get a top team in the quarterfinals and get knocked out, like what happened in the men’s competition.

“So it’s not just about winning all your games but also about getting the luck of the draw.

“We also have to have similar if not better preparation than we had in 2018 to make sure we are in the best physical shape that we can be because of the type of football we like to play. And then we have to execute our plans and take it one game at a time.”

Nigeria have struggled in recent years, culminating in that home loss to Banyana in the Buhari Cup. But that did not come out of the blue. The Super Falcons also lost to the South Africans in the opening game of the 2018 tournament, and could only draw in regulation time in the Final when both sides met again, triumphing on penalty kicks.

At the Aisha Buhari Cup, they laboured before claiming a 2-0 win over Mali before falling to Banyana. And their nervy epics against both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire provide worrying signs that the Nigerians are more vulnerable than they have ever been.

Still, Ellis says nothing can be taken for granted where the Super Falcons are concerned and she also remains wary of Cameroon: “Nigeria is going to be there or thereabouts no matter which team they put out.

“They have the pedigree, they have the experience and they will be there. Cameroon is going through a transition but they have quality players and the coach has enough time to get them ready. Let’s not forget Morocco, who have a fantastic program, They have shown that they are growing, they are going to be there too.

“We have to make sure that we are ready, and now that qualification is behind us, we need to really go all out to prepare, because we have an even chance like everybody else to win it.

“Having been there in 2018, having come so close, having some new players that are hungry maybe that will drive us to get that gold that has been so elusive over the years.”