Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says her side are viewing Wednesday’s critical game against Italy as a final, and that they are not looking beyond it at this stage.

Banyana squandered a two-goal lead against Argentina in their second game of the tournament to draw 2-2. That after they conceded a late goal against Sweden to go down 2-1 in a game where they had also led.

But looking ahead to the game against Italy Ellis said her charges were ready. “We did some analysis this morning. We looked at what we could have done better, but we also showed some good moments because we are still in it,” she said.

But the wily coach knows what needs to be done to advance and she has full confidence that her team will not only win their first-ever game at a World Cup but also advance to the knock-out stages.

Speaking to the media after Monday’s training she said: “Look, it’s the final, you can’t think anything beyond that.

“We spoke about Argentina being the final, but this is the final.

“We believe we can still get a result to take us to the next stage, but we got everything out there and we have to make sure that we leave no stone unturned so that when we get the opportunities, we take it.”