Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis believes her side still has room for improvement despite wrapping up their Olympic qualifying assignment against Madagascar with an emphatic 7-0 aggregate victory.
SA secured a comfortable 3-0 win in the second leg at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night, booking their place in the third round of the qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
However, Ellis was quick to stress that the result alone would not mask the areas her team needed to improve, particularly their ability to convert scoring opportunities.
Banyana dominated proceedings but had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock, with Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado finding the back of the net shortly after the restart.
Second-half substitute Ronnel Donnelly then took centre stage, scoring twice to cap another impressive performance.
The forward finished the two-legged tie with five goals, having netted a hat-trick in the opening encounter.
SA made six changes to their starting lineup for the return leg, with captain Thembi Kgatlana among those brought into the side as Ellis rotated her squad and gave other players an opportunity to contribute.
Despite the convincing scoreline, the coach felt her team could have been more clinical in front of goal.
“We made six changes, and we are happy with the results and [getting] through to the next round, but there is still work to be done,” Ellis said.
“We created chances but didn’t take them because we were not patient enough to get the goals.
"Once the first one went in, more were bound to follow, and that’s what happened.
"We could have scored more because the opportunities were there.”
The victory means Banyana have scored seven goals across the two matches without conceding, providing a solid foundation as they prepare for a demanding run of international fixtures.
Their attention will now turn to the third round of the Olympic qualifiers, where Angola await in February or March 2027.
Angola booked their place in the next round after overcoming Namibia 2-0 in the second leg, following a goalless draw in the opening match.
Beyond the Olympic campaign, the Madagascar encounter also offered Ellis an opportunity to fine-tune her squad ahead of November's Fifa World Cup playoffs in Rabat, Morocco.
With important matches approaching, she believes the combination of goals, victories and clean sheets has given the team a timely lift.
“Winning gives you that confidence, and keeping a clean sheet has the same effect.
"These two wins were real morale boosters for us going into some very important games, as they give us that momentum.
“We know we scored goals and haven’t conceded, so it was a good exercise for us ahead of the Fifa World Cup playoffs, which are around the corner,” Ellis said.
Banyana have been drawn against Chinese Taipei, Ecuador and Uzbekistan in the World Cup playoffs, where they will look to carry the confidence gained from their Olympic qualifying campaign into another important challenge on the international stage.
