‘These are the lessons we need’: Banyana captain Jane on Brazil games

Banyana Banyana will try to close the gap that was evident between themselves and Brazil in Friday’s 3-0 friendly defeat when they meet the South American champions again at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Monday.

The African champions said they have some areas they will look to tighten up — such as conceding two goals just before the break, and how to escape Brazil’s suffocating high press — in the second and final match of the series in Durban (6pm).

SA captain Refiloe Jane and coach Desiree Ellis said the first friendly at Orlando Stadium had already served its purpose of Banyana testing themselves against top-class opposition as part of identifying areas they need to strengthen for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

“Coming into the game we knew how much of a good challenge it was going to be. It was a good game of football,” Jane said.

“Like the coach said we were able to play the ball around. When we played it around we looked so much better and I think it was from our mistakes that we gave the goals away. I don’t think there were chances that Brazil created where they looked really dangerous.

“But these are the lessons we take going forward and that we need to work on and that give us a glimpse of what we’re going to expect as part in the preparations for the World Cup and also in the World Cup.

“These are the games that we need to grow as a team and individuals. So we’re taking more lessons rather than putting our heads down just because of the loss.”

The 2023 World Cup is being held in Australia and New Zealand in July and August next year. 

Ellis said further plans past the Brazil series have been given to the SA Football Association as SA aim to build a side that can potentially improve on their first round exit in their maiden World Cup in France in 2019.

“We have another Fifa date in October, besides the second match on Monday, and then we wait for the World Cup draw [on October 22],” the SA coach said.

“We need to see who we draw and make sure we don’t play one of the teams we have in our plan. We’re definitely looking at these kinds of matches to get us ready.

“We did something similar in 2019 — we didn’t win a game then but those games severely tested us and got us ready for the [France] World Cup.

“It was fantastic to start our preparations [for 2023] against Brazil. A big thank you to Safa and Sasol — they said they’d get us good preparation and kept to their word.”

Brazil’s goals at Orlando were scored by Geyse Ferreira (43rd minute), Adriana (45th) and Tamires (63rd).

Banyana, ranked 54th in the world, won their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations by beating hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final in Rabat in July.

Brazil, ranked ninth, notched their eighth Copa América Femenina beating hosts Colombia 1-0, also in July.