Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has revealed that they have used Refiloe Jane to good use for intel on the Italian national team given that she has been plying her trade in Italy for a number of years.
South Africa will be facing Italy in their final FIFA Women's World Cup group game on Wednesday morning, where they need a victory to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
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Ellis has revealed that Jane's knowledge on Italy has been "very valuable" as she has been based in Italy since 2019 when she joined AC Milan.
The former Tshwane University of Technology midfielder left Milan in 2022 and joined Sassuolo in the same league, the team she's currently playing for.
"Of course her knowledge is very valuable, she has played in Italy for a while now, one of her teammates is playing in the Italian team as well," Ellis said in a press conference.
"So her information has been very useful and we used a lot of that and also our own analysis to profile the Italian team and hopefully our plan will come together tomorrow," she said.
Meanwhile, Banyana striker Hilda Mogaia also confirmed that Jane has given them intel on what to expect from Italy and how they need to adjust their game.
"I did have a chat with 'Fifi' (Jane) as I'm close with her. She told me that Italy is a team that plays with intensity, they are a team that presses, so me being a player that holds on the ball, I need to release the ball quicker," she said in the same press conference.
However, Jane herself is in a race against time to be fit for the game against Italy after she picked up an injury in the 2-2 draw against Argentina.
Ellis also revealed that Jane has a soft tissue injury and discussed whether she will play against Italy or not.
"Refiloe has a soft tissue injury and we will wait until the very last minute before we make a final decision," she added.
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