Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has heaped praise on her inexperienced squad after their back-to-back victories in two international friendlies against neighbours Lesotho last week.
The WAFCON-winning coach had named a youthful squad, aiming to broaden the player pool ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco later this year.
Despite their inexperience, the young players rose to the challenge, securing a hard-fought 1-0 win in the first match, followed by a convincing 2-0 victory.
Ellis was effusive in her praise for the young players after the two matches, expressing delight at their growth and progress during the friendlies.
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Ntoane’s opening strike in the 4th minute …#LiveTheImpossible pic.twitter.com/gK9oKunYyW
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“We can take our hats off for these young girls. It’s not easy for them, so early playing two top-level games like these. You could see a lot of tired legs towards the end of the second game but we’re happy with the growth and progress this week,” Ellis said according to the Sowetan.
“I also want to thank the fans for coming out and embracing this new group of players. It will take a while for them to reach the top level but there were moments that looked good but there are other moments where we could have done better.
The Banyana Banyana mentor added the players showed enthusiasm and commitment in the two encounters.
“It’s a young group of players…the enthusiasm is there, the commitment is there. There’s huge potential but it will take more than one camp to take them to the next level. They can be proud of themselves,” Ellis concluded.
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