Desiree Ellis Pinpoints Lack of Clinical Finishing for Banyana World Cup Defeat

• Desiree Ellis has opened up about Banyana Banyana's defeat to the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup
• Ellis believes the team's lack of clinical finishing was the main reason they failed to progress further
• Banyana suffered a 2-0 defeat and were eliminated in the knockout stages of the Women's World Cup

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has weighed in on her team’s elimination from the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The South African side were beaten 2-0 by the Netherlands in a round-of-16 fixture in Sydney.

Speaking after the game, Ellis pinpointed the side’s inability to score as the reason why they failed to beat the Dutch side.cBanyana had 13 shots in the game, with seven of those on target, but failed to find the back of the net.

As noted by Far Post, Ellis bemoaned that her side were not clinical in front of the goal.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright embraces Banyana's Desiree Ellis at Women's World Cup; Video

Football

“To win the game, we needed to score more goals. We had a lot of opportunities especially in the first half, to kill the game because we knew the quality side the Netherlands are,” Ellis said.

“We knew that even though we conceded from a set piece, the chances that we created should have put us out of sight. A decision or a goal, we could’ve been speaking a different story, she added.

Ellis also added that the loss of two key players in the first half had a huge impact on the game. Banyana had to watch on as Bambanani Mbane and Jermaine Seoposenwe were both taken off after suffering injuries. Mbane’s in particular looked to be quite serious.

Both players were stand-out performers during the tournament. Despite their defeat, Ellis also expressed how proud she was of the team.

As noted by News24, she said that the team has matured and grown since 2019, and for that, they and the country can be really proud.

Reactions As Arsenal Legend Ian Wright Tells NFF to Pay Super Falcons After Win Over Australia

Football

“I am very proud of these players. They gave their all today. They know that they were in the game and that is what we said: We are going to come here and put up a fight. South Africa can be very proud of this team.”

Boateng spotted at Banyana game

The Women's World Cup is attracting more and more attention as the tournament heads into the knockout stages.

With the Round of 16 games underway in New Zealand and Australia, stars of the men's game have also come out in support of the ladies.

That was evident during the South Africa and Netherlands fixture when Kevin-Prince Boateng was spotted in the stands watching the fixture, Sports Brief reported.