Mdaka warns Amajita against complacency ahead of Eswatini decider

Amajita need only a draw against Eswatini on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup, but coach Raymond Mdaka has warned his players not to underestimate their final Group B opponents.

South Africa moved to the top of the group with six points after securing consecutive victories. They followed their opening win against Lesotho by beating Angola 2-0 at the ABB Stadium in Matola, Mozambique, on Monday.

Angola have three points, meaning Amajita will confirm their place in the last four with at least a point against Eswatini. Only the group winners and the best second-placed team qualify for the semi-finals.

The two finalists will also secure qualification for next year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ghana.

Mdaka said Eswatini deserved the same level of preparation and respect as Angola, who were regarded as one of the stronger sides in the group.

“Eswatini is not different from Angola. They’ve got the physique, they’ve got good players who can run, and for us is to prepare the players the same way we prepared for this game,” Mdaka told the media after the victory over Angola.

“We’ve never undermined anyone, but they are also a good team.

“As much as we respect all the teams in the group, we felt that Angola was one of the strong teams, but credit to the boys, they have done really well, tactically so and in terms of character.”

Amajita’s match against Eswatini will take place at the ABB Stadium at 12pm on Wednesday.

Mdaka praised his players and the technical team for executing their approach against Angola, while stressing that discipline and determination had also been important to the result.

“In football sometimes you don’t only need the plan, but you need the character, the spirit to fight on the field of play. So, we really appreciate what the boys did, but also the technical team did their job very well.

“We knew where their strong points were and we were able to make sure that defensively we closed those strong areas they had, but at the same time not compromising our attacks. How we plan to play gives us the results that we have and also, again, credit to the whole team.”

Amajita will therefore enter their final group fixture knowing that victory is not essential for qualification, but Mdaka wants the side to reproduce the tactical discipline and character shown in the win over Angola.