SEDIBENG.- Banyana Banyana is in Group G with powerhouses of women’s football, namely Italy, Sweden and Argentina.
However, Banyana Banyana had decent world cup preparations playing international friendly matches against high profile opponents such as Brazil, twice here in South Africa, and Australia, away from home. Despite losing all those three international friendly matches, Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis was pleased with the kind of opponents SAFA and Sasol organised for her team as this was part of preparation for the women’s world cup. Despite being drawn in the same group with the powerhouse of women’s football, many believe that Banyana Banyana will venture out there to cause an upset. Speaking to the media after the draw, Ellis was confident that Banyana Banyana is not just looking to add numbers in the competition, Instead, she believes that they will make their presence felt.
“We are heading there not to represent ourselves but to represent our country and we know what we expect but we will be ready come next year. We played against good opponents in our preparations and those friendly matches helped us a lot. Playing against Brazil and Australia was the most exciting thing to happen and thanks to SAFA and Sasol for organising such opponents for us,” she said.
