Ellis full of praise for South Africa after Senegal win books WAFCON semis spot

South Africa women’s national team head coach Dr Desiree Ellis has discussed how the they managed to beat Senegal on penalties to book their place in the semifinals of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The African champions beat Senegal 4-1 on penalties as both sides could not be separated at the end of extra time after a 0-0 outcome at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Andile Dlamini made two great saves in the penalty shootout, while Karabo Dhlamini, Tiisetso Makhubela, Gabriela Salgado and Bambanani Mbane ensured that South Africa stayed in the game to give the defending champions a massive 4-1 win.

“I said the game was not going to be easy, I said it was going to be a difficult game because of the group they were in and how they got out – and we didn’t expect anything less,” Ellis told SAFA Media.

“The first 15 minutes we showed a bit of nerves, trying to get into the game but once we got into the game, we nullified the threat, their two tall strikers. We dealt very well with their long ball, but sometimes we gave the ball away too cheaply. Senegal has improved from the last time we played them, the coach has done a fantastic job.

“We have been practicing penalties, and we knew who our kickers were going to be and that’s why we made the changes we made. We always knew that Andile can save one or two – she had done it before.

“This was our first penalty shoot victory in the WAFCON – we lost it in 2006 and in 2018 in the final. I don’t have enough words to describe this team – the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willingness to fight for each other. No matter what they threw at us we were able to withstand that.”

South Africa will now face nine-time champions Nigeria, who defeated Zambia 5-0 to reach the last four, at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca on Tuesday.