While the Super Falcons cruised to a 5-0 victory over Zambia in the quarter-final, Banyana Banyana had to rely on a penalty shootout to overcome a resilient Senegal side after 120 goalless minutes.
To keep their title defence hopes alive, South Africa must overcome a familiar foe in Nigeria when they clash in Casablanca. And their 62-year-old tactician says her team is leaving no stone unturned in their bid to get past Justine Madugu’s side.
"Nigeria is a familiar team that we’ve played against over the last couple of years. We travelled (on Sunday) and (on Monday), and we will have our final training session and there’s not much you can do in one day," Ellis told the media.
"But there are a few things that you can tweak, and a few things that you can work on. The technical team has been really busy behind the scenes and leaving no stone unturned, so I think you don’t need motivation for a semifinal, and we are ready for the game."
Although the West Africans hold a superior record from past encounters between the two sides, the four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year claims those previous meetings count for little now, with the stakes significantly higher this time around.
She continued: "I don’t think it means a lot, it does mean, however, that we know we can get over the line, but I think past results don’t really mean anything because it’s a different tournament and it’s three years down the line.
"Also, it’s a different coach and some new players, but it’s the same Nigeria and they have the quality. We have to be on top of our game to make sure we get over the hurdle.
"They are the only country that has defended back-to-back on numerous occasions, and it would be big for our country."
Echoing coach Ellis’ sentiments, midfield dynamo Gabriela Salgado says the team is both physically and emotionally prepared to face the Nigerians.
“We know we’re going into the semi-final game, it’s going to be a challenge, but we are physically and mentally prepared," the 27-year-old told the media.
"We know the responsibility we hold, and we just look forward to a good game and hopefully finishing it within the 90 minutes.
“Every game that we play we take our lessons, and we obviously take it into the next game and improving what we learned from that game. Just going into this game, I think the Senegal game of course brought us together as a team, we saw the desire, the hunger in each other’s eyes and it brought us just closer together knowing how we’ll need each other going into the next game.
"I think the team is prepared, we’re ready, we know what we have to do, and I think everyone is just on the same page and we are excited for the game."
South Africa and Nigeria last met during the group stage of the 2022 edition of WAFCON with the Super Falcons losing 2-1 thanks to goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hilda Magaia.
