Outplayed Banyana fell apart in the second half

On Friday evening, hosts Denmark won 5-0 against the touring South Africans in Aalborg after a goalless first half. The game flow chart of the match showed that it was played almost entirely in the South African half. In the first half, as well as the second, it was one-way traffic.

As a result of the one-sidedness, Banyana, world-ranked at No 50, had a meagre two shots at goal during the 96 minutes. Neither was on target. Denmark, the No 12 world-ranked team, had 27 shots at goal, 11 of which were target. Kaylin Swart, the South African goalkeeper, saved six and her counterparts Maja Bay and Alberte Vingum (second half) did not have to make a save.

The odds were stacked against Banyana for a variety of reasons. Four key players were unavailable, and the side last played in June in a double-header against lowly Senegal in Dakar.

After the match, Banyana coach Desiree Elli said after an excellent first half in which they prevented Denmark from scoring, the team fell apart in the second half.

“We spoke about the first 20 minutes being defensively sound and organized,” said Ellis. “We would be trying to catch one or two breaks on the counter but, at times we gave the ball away, especially after turning over the ball.

“We had put in a big shift in the first half and in the second, we just fell apart.

“Their quality came through eventually, but we kept going.

“These (matches against top teams) are building blocks for us for Wafcon. We had to stay concentrated for the full 90 minutes, but it also showed we played a long time ago.

“It was a good test because we wanted to test players. It is not the result we wanted but I think we made a good effort. Many of our players have not played against teams of this calibre.”

The Denmark match and Tuesday’s England clash will be important for the growth of the national women's team.

“We needed to test players and see if we take them with us on the journey. I think many raised their hands which makes it difficult for us at selection time. Playing against a top team like Denmark and the world’s No 2 (England) is a test for us.”

Most of the squad is drawn from the Hollywoodbets Super League (the SAFA Women’s League) and Ellis feels that if there was greater improvement in the domestic arena it would benefit Banyana.

“The Hollywoodbets (league) has improved but it still needs to improve more to help us. Because we have not played for five months it showed towards the end. We had to concentrate for the full 90 and unfortunately, we didn’t and panicked a bit.

“There were times when we created openings, but we rushed it a bit instead of staying calm. They were very physical, but we spoke about their physicality. We need to beef up a bit, but I’m thankful for the players’ effort.”

Banyana will take on England at Coventry Building Society Arena on Tuesday night. England warmed up for the match with a 4-3 defeat against Germany (World No 4) in an international friendly at Wembley on Friday night.