23 September 2023 – Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis will want her charges to put the defeat to the United States of America this week behind them and turn their attention to the second international friendly match between the two sides on Sunday (24 September 2023).
The African champions suffered a 0-3 defeat in the first match in Cincinnati and Ellis will hope they regroup and end their tour of the USA on a high in Chicago at the Soldier Field stadium.
The Sasol-sponsored South African senior women’s team had a recovery session before departure to Chicago and will have their official matchday minus 1 training session later on Saturday (23 September 2023).
Ellis had emphasised that the two games were important for giving different players a chance as the team prepares for a hectic schedule ahead.
“It is a quick turnaround for game two but we will recover in time, I hope the fans saw what we were trying to do. We also tried to give others an opportunity to test them and see what they can do and more players will get more game time in the second game,” said Ellis.
“We did say that we must be organized defensively. The first 20 minutes is key and we were excellent. We have got to push, stay compact and concentrate in defence a little bit longer and when we get the chances we have to be a little bit more clinical in front of goals,” Ellis said.
Sinoxolo Cesane is the only player who made her debut in the first game coming on in the 89th minute to replace Kholosa Biyana.
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