Banyana coach on defeat to Australia: 'A lot of positives' but looking for more consistency

As part of their preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, 2022 WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana took on Australia in a friendly in London over the weekend.

Following two tough matches against Brazil, which resulted in heavy defeats, South Africa lost their third encounter in a row as Australia won 4-1. 

It's been a challenging period for Banyana after the highs of winning in Morocco, but coach Desiree Ellis is looking to the positives, particularly as several youngsters were part of the squad, according to the SAFA website. 

"I thought we did not start well, and we conceded very early. We spoke about minimizing mistakes, but once again, we conceded from a mistake," said Ellis when the team landed in South Africa. 

"At times we were good on the ball, but we were not consistent. We played in patches, and we were not tracking back, and [then] we conceded again.

"[There are] A lot of positives for us because I thought it was a better performance, we tested some new players that came, and I thought they really raised their hands, and that's the big positive for us, and we scored a goal," Ellis added. 

The Word Cup takes place from 20 July to 20 August 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.