Watch VideoBanyana Banyana’s WAFCON survival mission goes down to Burkina Faso battle

Bongeka Gamede of South Africa challenges Grace Ruth Sery of Ivory Coast during the Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations match. Banyana face a defining moment in their Group on Tuesday night against Burkina Faso. Banyana Banyana’s WAFCON campaign reaches a defining momenton Tuesday night (10pm kick-off) when they face Burkina Faso knowing that only a strong finish can keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

South Africa entered the tournament with high expectations but endured a difficult start after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their opening Group B encounter. They responded with character in their second match, recovering from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Ivory Coast, butthe result left Desiree Ellis’ side with little margin for errorheading into the final group fixture. The equation is now simple: Banyana need to focus on securing a victory against Burkina Faso while also keeping an eye on the other result in the group, with qualification permutations still finely balanced.

For Ellis and her technical team, the biggest challenge will be finding the balance between attacking urgency and defensive stability. Banyana have shown throughout the tournament that they can create chances, with their attacking players capable of causing problems for opposing defences. However, their inability to convert opportunities consistently has placed unnecessary pressure on the team.