Johannesburg - Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says they have to be clinical in front of goal, especially if they are going to compete with classy opponents like Brazil.
The reigning African Queens went down 3-0 to their South American counterparts in their first friendly at Orlando Stadium on Friday night.
The Brazilians scored their first two goals late in the first half, thanks to strikes from Geyse Ferreira and Adriana Silva who pounced on a Banyana error.
But as Banyana started to put together passes in the second half after the cameo of Nomvula Kgoale, Tamires Britto sealed the contest for Brazil.
Ellis was relatively pleased with her troops’ performance overall, but felt like they could have done better in front of goal and in the final third.
“We wanted to play our game and make sure that we come out of this game proud of ourselves. And I thought we rotated the ball well,” Ellis said.
“I thought we were shaky in the beginning defensively, but we managed to sort that out. And to concede two goals late in the first half was criminal.
“If you are free and someone is free, you’ve got to scan and look around. I thought that we created a few chances, especially with Hildah Magaia’s chance.
“That’s where we’ve got to be more clinical. In the second half, we played very well and created a lot of transitions but our final ball up front was poor.”
Banyana will get a chance to avenge their loss when they meet the Copa America Femenina Queens in the second friendly in Durban on Monday night.
IOL Sport