Sports Desk Reporter
Banyana Banyana face a must-win encounter against Burkina Faso tomorrow night to keep their CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence alive.
South Africa are bottom of Group B with one point from two matches. Burkina Faso are third on three points, while Ivory Coast lead the standings on four points ahead of Tanzania on three.
Victory over Burkina Faso is essential if Banyana are to reach the quarter-finals. They will also need Ivory Coast to avoid defeat against Tanzania in the other Group B match, which kicks off at the same time.
Head coach Dr Desiree Ellis said the squad knows exactly what is at stake.
“Burkina Faso are not here by fluke, but we have to focus on ourselves. We have to control play from the first whistle. We can only control what we can control,” Ellis said.
“We have prepared well, and we will be ready to give the best we can. We know what is at stake. It is probably the final for us. If we don’t get the result we require, it’s the end of the road,” she said.
Ellis said her players have been in similar situations before and believes their experience can make the difference.
“We have been in similar positions before, and I believe we have players with enough experience to get us over the line,” Ellis said.
“Yes, there will be pressure, but we have never doubted ourselves, and we can draw inspiration from the fact that we have done it before,” she said.
Goalkeeper Kaylin Swart admitted the tournament has been tougher than the team anticipated, but said the players remain confident ahead of the decisive fixture.
“I don’t think we realised how much it was going to take for us to be where we are. Mentally we didn’t expect it. Tomorrow is another battle, and we are ready. We can’t talk about the past; we have to focus on this match,” Swart said.
“It is going to take everything from us to get a result. Our spirit has never faltered despite the results. I am excited because it is going to be a battle. It is what we would call the group of death,” she said.
Swart said both teams will be feeling the pressure.
“It will be a tough match, and both teams are under pressure. But then again, sometimes pressure is what we need to do well because it is part of the game,” Swart said.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will also qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.