‘The whole of South Africa should be proud of this team’: Banyana coach Ellis

Banyana Banyana paid for not taking their chances but did not play like underdogs, giving the Netherlands a tougher run than the 2-0 scoreline suggested, coach Desiree Ellis said after their Women’s World Cup last-16 defeat on Sunday.

The South Africans — and especially Thembi Kgatlana, who ran at the Dutch like a woman possessed and forced four big saves from player of the match Daphne van Donselaar in the Netherlands’ goal — had their chances after Jill Roord headed a ninth-minute opener from a corner.

But three big setbacks — the first-half losses of Jermaine Seoposenwe (30th) and Bambanani Mbane (42nd) to injury, and goalkeeper Kaylin Swart allowing Lineth Beerensteyn’s second for Holland through her arms in the 64th — combined to take the game away from Banyana.

Ellis said South Africans should be proud of the team for becoming the first senior national side from the country to reach a World Cup knockout stage, and their performance there.

“Yesterday we spoke about how during the game we needed to score more goals. We had a lot of opportunities, especially in the first half, to kill off the game,” she said.

“Because we knew the quality side the Netherlands are and knew that even if we conceded the chances we created could have put us out of sight.

“I think our goalkeeper had a fantastic game up until that moment and I hope people remember her for how well she played and not that one incident.

“In the end the legs just weren’t there any more for us to keep pushing for the duration of the game.

“But I said they [Netherlands] were going to be in a game and would know we were here. I spoke about underdogs yesterday — I don’t think there are underdogs any more in this World Cup.

“Because a decision or a goal here or there and we could have been speaking differently now.

“I think the whole of South Africa should be proud of this team. I know they got up early and expected a victory.

“But we also played against a very good team, a side who were not expected to end top of their group and did.

“We’re just proud and of course I’m also proud of the group of players.”

Ellis said Swart’s earlier saves kept Banyana in the game, and her teammates could only console her afterwards.

“She played really well and when we came in we were just patting her on the back and said to her, ‘Chin up, this happens in the game.’

“It’s unfortunate it happened but she kept us in the game too. And if you look at their goalkeeper winning player of the match it tells you how well we played.

“Losing Bambanani and Jermaine in the first half didn’t help the way we set up. But we’ve brought a squad of the players and those who came in I think did well.

“It was huge [losing them]. They’re instrumental in the way we play, especially Jermaine with what she brings to the team. But even then we still had chances.”

Banyana punched above their 54th ranking throughout the tournament. They conceded a last-gasp winner to lose 2-1 to third-ranked Sweden in their group G opener, blew a 2-0 lead drawing 2-2 against 28th-ranked Argentina and beat 16th-ranked Italy 3-2 through an injury-time winner.

They competed against the clinical, precise and powerful 2019 losing finalists and 2023 group E winners the Netherlands too, a goalkeeping howler with the score at 1-0 denying the South Africans making a closer contest of the game.