South Africa will make their Women’s FIFA World Cup debut today against Spain in the city of Le Havre, France. Kick-off is at 18:00
Banyana Banyana qualified for the tournament after defeating Mali in the semi-finals of the 2018 Women’s AFCON held in Ghana in November 2018.
Coach Desiree Ellis, who captained Banyana in their very first international match in 1993‚ and will now lead the team on their historical first appearance in the Women’s FIFA World Cup, expects Spain to play their normal possession football but hope Banyana’s pace will cause them problems.
“With all the Spanish teams, they play possession game. They like to hold on to the ball. Similarly, that is what we want to do because that is who we are, putting the ball on the ground. They are very slow in their build-ups but also very clinical in front of goal.
“We are going to be on top of our game. We have lots of pace in our team, which is a plus for us because not many teams can cope with that but we got to get it absolutely right. The first 20 minutes will be very crucial”. Ellis said.
Ellis says the players are ready to compete and leave a mark.
“This is the first time we are coming to the World Cup, we want to leave the mark. It is not going to be an easy game but we got to be concentrated. When I look at the players and listen to the talks, we are ready! Ellis added.
South Africa go into the game at the back of 10 games winless streak.
Written by: Diski Voice
