South Africa’s women’s national team Coach for the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship, Simphiwe Mendy Ndludlu has said she is happy with how her team played despite losing to Zambia in the final today.
Simphiwe said, her team did not prepare for the tournament but they managed to impress and even finish as runners-up.
I am actually very happy with our progress because I think this is a team that is definitely showing strides of prgression. We came into this tournament with zero preparation but we managed to reach the final.
She said.
Simphiwe added that to her, the COSAFA final was a friendly match to prepare for future tournaments.
This morning in the prematch I said to them(Banyana Banyana) this is our friendly game number five and preparation for another tournament somewhere else.
She has also praised her young defenders for being able to handle a “world-class” striker like Barbara Banda for an entire 90 minutes of open play.
All of them know that she [Barbara Banda] is a magnificent striker and I think for us to be able to handle her and not get fouls against but win the balls clean was magnificent from our young defenders, because when you look at that young defence; left back is 18, the right back is only 19, the other centre back is only 19 and the other centre back is only 24 turning 25, that for me was incredible.” she said.
Simphiwe said.
The Banyana Banyana coach is satisfied that her team was able to take the match into extra time against an experienced side like the Copper Queens who were one of the best teams at the previous Africa cup and FIFA World Cup bound, a thing which she never anticipated.
We didn’t think we will push them to extra time, because they are a team that was in the WAFCON, they have played a couple of extra time matches and they came out victorious, so they have the experience; so for us to be able to hold them off and not just holding them in us playing low block and just taking the punches but defend where we needed to and have counter attack moments, I think it was absolutely great from us because they are a very experienced team.
She concluded.
South Africa used their developmental squad away from the team that won the Women’s Africa cup earlier this year in Morocco for the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship.
Zambia defeated the seven-time COSAFA champions, South Africa 1-0, to lift the trophy for the first time in the history of the competition courtesy of a Barbara Banda extra-time header.
