In their second game in the space of three days, the South African ladies were resilient in keeping the world’s ninth-ranked side at bay while also creating a handful of chances of their own in what turned out to be an entertaining stalemate at Cape Town Stadium.
Ellis says her players responded well to what she had asked of them, before pointing out an area which needs refining as preparations continue for this year’s World Cup.
“We knew Sweden struggled with pace, so we changed things a bit and went with two quick players upfront to put them under pressure,” she said. “I thought we started really well compared to the match against the Netherlands; we were a lot more composed and a lot more on the ball with captain Refiloe Jane in the middle.
“I think our final pass at times was a bit rushed, and if we were a little bit more composed in front of goal, we could’ve had a lot more shots on target. There’s just one area we really need to work on, and that’s our finishing. But I’m very happy, not only with the performance, but the fitness level. Last year we folded completely in the second half due to fatigue, and the girls have really worked hard on their own over the last couple of weeks.”
Having lost 3-0 to the Swedes this time last year, Ellis feels a goalless draw was a commendable result, and feels playing against two top-10 ranked teams in the world gives her side ideal match practice ahead of their maiden World Cup campaign.
“Preparation is key and this is a good start for us,” she said. “Last year SAFA and Sasol made sure we had good preparation, and now we couldn’t have asked for two bigger games: European champions Netherlands ranked seventh in the world, and Sweden, ranked ninth in the world. I think we stood up well, gave as good as they gave and so easily could have won the game. But I’m very proud of the group and the way they applied themselves.”
The Banyana players will now be given a break before reconvening ahead of the Cyprus Cup, which starts at the end of next month.