Banyana Banyana head coach Dr Desiree Ellis expressed satisfaction after her side recorded a shock victory over Japan in an international friendly in Osaka on Tuesday.
Banyana’s 1-0 victory at the J Green Sakai Field was a second meeting between the sides in four days with the first one a dominant 5-0 win by the hosts.
The friendlies are part of Banyana’s ongoing preparations for the upcoming 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
This was also a first win for South Africa against the former world champions in four meetings that include two losses, a draw and now a win. It was also the home side’s first international friendly defeat since 2013.
The 2022 WAFCON winning coach admitted the magnitude of the victory especially coming on the back of a heavy defeat saying it shows Banyana are on the right track but need to keep their feet on the ground.
“I think if I’m not mistaken is the first win against a top 10 and what a way to do it,” Ellis told SASOL In Sports.
“They just recently come off a series against the US, where they also beat the US in one of the games. So, it says we’re on the right track, but we have to stay humble. We have to make sure that we use this as a springboard to get bigger and better.
“We have to make sure that the learnings out of this, that we continue improving in this, that we continue improving as individuals and as a team, because we know what this is all about. It’s about WAFCON it’s preparation for WAFCON.”
“I mean, even though we’re playing Japan, and the WAFCON should have happened in March, so the idea was to play Japan after. And it came at this time where we get a top opponent to play two matches against. And I think it was just fantastic for the whole group, technical team, the support staff, as well as the players, they really put in a shift today, put their bodies on the line when it mattered, and we got a result out of that.
Meanwhile, the match was also captain Refiloe Jane’s 150th appearance where she also provided the assist for the goal.
Dr Ellis congratulated the TS Galaxy midfielder saying she urged the team before the game to make it a memorable day for their skipper.
“I think I said in the team meeting let’s make it memorable for her and surely they did,” added the coach.
“I think well deserved, been a pillar for the team for a very long time. Also suffered with a couple of injuries but has come back stronger and has led the team so well. It couldn’t have happened to a more humble person, a more hardworking person.
“I think I say that about all the centurions. I say that about all the players that have gone past the 150 mark, she’s the fourth one now, but they’ve all put in the shift to women’s football, and it’s so well deserved.”
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