The Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana returned to action on Tuesday (25 July) after being given a day off on Monday. The time out came after a draining opening match against Sweden in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup currently underway in Australia and New Zealand.
The South Africans lost 2-1 after scoring first at a wet and gloomy Wellington Stadium.
Head coach Desiree Ellis says the rest period was crucial. “It is very important just to take your mind off football, to rest and relax, and go out to have a cup of coffee. You just walk around and if you want to shop, go shop – just taking the mind off football,” said Ellis.
“I had my sister and my brother-in-law, and it was really nice just to catch up because I don’t see them that often – and that is the purpose of a day off. If you want to lie in, want to read or watch anything, but take the time off and come back refreshed. And you can see the batteries are recharged, everybody’s eager, and looking forward to the next game and we know we have to win it.”
One of those coming back refreshed was forward Hilda Magaia, who injured herself after scoring South Africa’s solitary goal against Sweden on her World Cup debut.
She was forced to leave the field as she was in pain after crashing against the lower part of the poles.
With a heavily strapped hand, the South Korea-based player joined her teammates for training at Porirua Park in Wellington and completed the session without any discomfort.
“As you saw Hilda took part in the whole training session – everyone has a clean bill of health, which is fantastic. We have to always make sure that we have a clean bill of health, and thanks to the medical and conditioning team for making sure everyone is ready to join training because the turnaround time is very short,” added Ellis after their training session in New Zealand.
The three-time CAF Woman Coach of the Year says she was excited to see the team in high spirits and will focus on certain areas.
“There is still a lot of enthusiasm, but also a lot of competitiveness and commitment – we know how big the upcoming game is, we know it’s a must win, we also know we have to score goals, and that’s why we’ve been working on finishing because it’s important that we take those chances. But also, decision making also needs to improve for us to be able to take those chances,” said Ellis.
“We have another video session and I think that’s important because it becomes very interactive – it’s not just us feeding information to the players but it’s also the players finding solutions. We are happy with the enthusiasm and it’s a good sign for us because we know after such a draining match there is a little bit of tiredness, but we have to push through because we know what’s ahead of us.”
The squad will have one session in Wellington on Wednesday (26 July) before flying out to Dunedin the next day (Thursday morning, 27 July) where they will conclude preparations for the clash against Argentina – their second Group G fixture – on Friday, 28 July.
Kickoff is at 02h00 SA Time.
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