Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, believes her side gave it away in the 2-2 against Argentina.
Banyana Banyana scored in either half through Linda Motlhalo and Thembi Kgatlana, but conceded two goals in five minutes.
Sophia Braun reduced the deficit for Argentina with a well-taken strike before a glancing header from Romina Nunez restored parity.
“We need to show a little bit of extra effort and take our chances,” said Ellis after the match. It’s the little details. We had the chance to win this game and, again, we just gave it away. We created many opportunities.
“But [before the game] we spoke about decision-making and the importance of playing a pass to someone in a better position and, at times, we did not do that.
“When you create beautiful chances and don’t put them away, the result can end up like this.”
Motlhalo’s goal was originally ruled offside, but VAR eventually overturned the decision to the delight of Dunedin Stadium.
Thembi Kgatlana was incredibly influential for Banyana Banyana, setting up the first and scoring the second. But Argentina came roaring back, with Braun’s stunning strike from 25 metres out giving her side a chance. Five minutes later, Nunez’s glancing header levelled the scores.
“We had the game in our pocket but we gave away two easy goals,” said Kgatlana. That’s something we’ll need to improve going into our next match.
We need to keep 100 per cent focus, whether we are leading or not, and show a very good mentality until the referee blows the final whistle. Today, we made life difficult for ourselves.”