Desiree Ellis praises Bloemfontein support after Banyana Banyana reach Olympic qualifying third round

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis thanked the Bloemfontein crowd after South Africa completed a 7-0 aggregate victory over Madagascar in the second round of the 2028 LA Olympic Games qualifiers.

South Africa won Tuesday’s second leg 3-0 in Bloemfontein to secure their place in the third round, having already taken a commanding 4-0 lead in the first leg last Friday.

The opening match was officially Madagascar’s home fixture, but the visitors had requested that it be played without supporters. South African fans returned in numbers for Tuesday’s game and their backing was acknowledged by Ellis after the final whistle.

“It was beautiful compared to Friday night, very beautiful,” Ellis told SABC TV.

“But we knew that the fans of Bloemfontein would come out because they love football. So, we just want to say thank you to them for coming out. We could hear the singing, we could hear the support.”

Ellis was satisfied with her side’s overall display, although she believed Banyana Banyana had created enough opportunities to score more goals.

She also highlighted the contribution of Player of the Match Hilda Magaia, whose influence grew as the contest progressed.

“I think we started slowly,” Ellis said.

“We needed to get the blocks on the ball more. We were dropping deep and then, when we got on the ball more, we played a lot more forward passes.

“Hilda then got into the game, the crosses came in, and I think we could have scored five or six on those occasions, getting those balls.

“But overall performance, really happy with it. We got the result. We will take that.”