Desiree Ellis: “The Mistakes We Made Punished Us”

Malawi’s Scorchers lead Group A in the 2023 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship, after secured a thrilling 4-3 victory against the host nation, South Africa, on the tournament’s opening day at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, on Wednesday 4 October, 2023.

Temwa Chawingwa achieved a remarkable hat-trick, with a goal in the first half and two more in the second, while Leticia Chinyamula scored the opening goal.

Despite missing several key players, South Africa managed to score consolation goals through Thubelihle Shamase, Khesani Nkuna, and Sphumelele Shamase. 

“We came into this game and we haven’t had a session together. I also said in the beginning that a lot of the players have played against each other at some time. All we said to the players was, ‘Look: Here’s your opportunity to show us who needs to go with us’.”

“The mistakes that we made obviously punished us, I don’t think they really worked hard for any goal except the fourth, one but I still think we would have dealt with it better.“

Banyana Banyana Head Coach Desiree Ellis

“I said to the players, at this level, if you make a mistake they will push you. The way we moved the ball around was very good. I thought we had a lot of control in the game. It could’ve so easily been a different score.”

The game saw Malawi dominate the African champions right from the start, with the Chawinga-led attack proving troublesome for Banyana Banyana’s defence, which conceded all the goals due to defensive errors.

In the earlier match, Eswatini staged a comeback to secure a 2-1 victory against Madagascar, who were making their return to the tournament after a three-year absence. 

Madagascar dominated the first 20 minutes of the game and were rewarded with a goal by Rina Rahamarimalala just two minutes before the half-hour mark.

Eswatini quickly regained momentum after the break, with their captain Tenanile Ngamphalala finding the net, and Patience Magagula securing the winning goal. 

This performance has placed Eswatini in the second position within the pool, currently holding three points, trailing behind South Africa and Madagascar.

Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship results on Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Group A 

Madagascar 1-2  Eswatini 
South Africa 3-4 Malawi

Results and Fixtures: 2023 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship

Photo Caption: Malawi’s Scorchers lead Group A in the 2023 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Champs after a thrilling 4-3 victory against host nation South Africa on opening day at the  Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville. Image: COSAFA