Ellis happy with Banyana win over Burundi, but not the display

Desiree Ellis says Banyana Banyana’s win against Burundi in their second match in Group C at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) was vital for the team to make sure they get to the quarter-finals.

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Banyana beat Burundi 3-1 at the Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan Stadium in Morocco on Thursday to reach the next round of the tournament with a game still tom play.

Banyana lead the group with six points after winning two matches, having beaten Nigeria in their first game.

Nigeria are in second place with three points, level with Botswana who are in third spot, but the Super Falcons have a superior goal difference after beating Botswana 2-0 on Thursday. Burundi are in last place with the East Africans yet to collect any point at the tournament.

“I felt we had enough on the field to get the result. But I think we overelaborated at times, most of the shots we took were straight at the goalkeeper. I thought she (Burundi keeper) would get the player-of-the-match award. We tried to change a bit, it looked better and we created plenty of opportunities,” said the Banyana coach.

“So, that is something that we need to work on. We said we needed three points and these three points were massive to get us to the next stage. We are always looking for improved performances, but today (Thursday) was not a good day in terms of that. But the result is also just as important.”

Banyana might have beaten Burundi, Ellis however was not happy with the overall team performance especially in front of goals.

“We never underestimate and we will never underestimate a team. I think there were lots of factors, but we are not looking for excuses. At times we played pretty good football, and at times we did not. As I said, I think we over-elaborated at times.”

Banyana will next face Botswana in their last group game on Sunday and they will be looking to win that game in order to finish as group winners.