Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has expressed her delight after South Africa’s victory over the Super Falcons of Nigeria kept their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.
South Africa defeated Justine Madugu’s side 2-1 at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday night to secure a place in the World Cup qualification playoffs.
Thembi Kgatlana and captain Refiloe Jane were on target for Banyana Banyana, while substitute Christy Ucheibe scored Nigeria’s only goal from the penalty spot late in the encounter.
Ellis Thumbs Up Banyana Victory
Ellis was thrilled with her team’s performance and the opportunity to continue their push for a place at the global showpiece.
The experienced tactician expressed satisfaction with the result, with Banyana Banyana now turning their attention to the play-offs as they seek to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Now we get another opportunity to go forward and our objective to qualify for the World Cup and we’re still in it,” Ellis told safa.net.
Read Also:2027 WWC Playoff: No Margin For Error –Ellis Speaks Ahead Banyana Vs Super Falcons
” I just want to congratulate the players, the technical staff and everybody because it was a lot of hands on deck over these last couple of days to make sure that we get to this point.
“We changed the team a bit and I’m not sure they were not ready for that surprise. We saw how good they were, but I think we were very resolute. The dream is still alive.”
Long Road To Brazil 2027
In the other World Cup playoff encounter, Ghana came from behind to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1.
Ghana and South Africa will now advance to the second phase, where they will join four other nations in a six-team mini-tournament scheduled to take place in November/December.
The competition will feature two teams from Asia, one from South America and one from Oceania (OFC).
The top two teams from this stage will progress to the final phase in February next year, where they will compete for the remaining three qualification spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
By Adeboye Amosu
