Refiloe is slowly but surely reaping the rewards
ALTHOUGH Banyana Banyana vice-captain Refiloe Jane admitted that team effort is sweeter than individual brilliance, she was thrilled that her hard work in front of goal is finally paying off at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.
As they hammered Equatorial Guinea 7-1 in their second groupstage match – and put one foot in the semi-finals – Jane came off the bench to score Banyana’s third goal of the match, which subsequently opened the floodgates.
“If the teams wins, everyone wins, so it doesn’t matter who scores on the day,” Jane said. “I am happy that I was one of the players that got on the score sheet because that’s one of the aspects that I’ve been working on in my game. So I am happy that I am slowly but surely reaping the fruits.”
Jane, didn’t start Wednesday’s encounter after suffering a knock in Banyana’s historic win against Nigeria in their Awcon opener. However,with the Equatoguineans having equalised on the stroke of halftime, coach Desiree Ellis threw Jane into the deep end. Following her analysis of the first half from the bench, the 26-yearold came on and restored her team’s confidence.
“Whenever you’re sitting on the bench, you are able to realise what’s happening on the field,” Jane said. “The coach always tells us that substitutes need to change the game and not drop the standard. So that was the case with us as the substitutes that came on, because we needed to watch from the bench.”
The South Africans might be top of Group B, but they are aware that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels when they meet neighbours Zambia in their last group-stage match tomorrow. While a draw will be enough to secure Banyana spot in the semi-finals, Zambia will have to win in order to keep their lastfour aspirations alive. On Wednesday, Zambia lost 4-0 to the Super Falcons.
“Looking at the history between the two teams, we are expecting a very good but tight match,” Jane said. “They are not going to be easy to beat because both teams still stand a chance of qualifying for the next round, so it’s a do or die. So we need to give it our all and stay focused, and make sure that we leave no stone unturned.”