WAFCON: We know the magnitude of this game – Banyana coach Desiree Ellis

Fresh from being crowned CAF women’s Coach of the Year, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes her team understands the task ahead of them as they prepare to face hosts Morocco in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nation (WAFCON) on Saturday (22 July) at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

This is the second successive time that the SASOL-sponsored Banyana Banyana will be featuring in the WAFCON final after the 2018 penalty shootout heartbreak at the hands of perennial rivals Nigeria.

This time they will be locking horns with the hosts who defeated the Super Falcons of Nigerians in a hot-tempered semifinal clash which saw the West Africans reduced to nine players.

Banyana Banyana go into the final with an unblemished record in the competition and will be hoping to make history and finally clinch their first-ever WAFCON trophy.

Coach Ellis said at the press conference that she understood the magnitude of this game and the team was psychologically prepared.

“When I look at the players now, they are so mentally focused, they are so happy and united. They want this trophy really badly. I thanked all of them personally for getting us this far and qualifying for the World Cup, but I told them to be ready for the final push,” Ellis told www.safa.net

“Tomorrow is their day to shine and bring that trophy back home. The atmosphere is going to be absorbing because of the home crowd, but I have full confidence in my players that they will bring the trophy to South Africa.”

The #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 finalists are decided! 🤩#EmpoweringOurGame pic.twitter.com/tTkgkKtx32

— #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 (@CAFwomen) July 19, 2022

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The reigning CAF women coach of the year said most of the work had been done at this stage of the competition and it was now up to the players to stand up and be counted when it matters most.

‘’The players are looking fresh and focused ahead of the final.

“We obviously travelled back after our semifinal and had a day off. We had a fun day, it’s all about getting the players ready for the game. There isn’t a lot that we can do at this point in time apart from keeping them motivated, focused and sticking to our game plan.

“We have one more day today to dot our Is and cross the Ts, and then it’s the game tomorrow and we will be ready.”