Amajita overcome Zambia to secure AFCON U20 qualification

South Africa’s Amajita recovered from a goal down to beat Zambia 4-2 and reach the final of the regional Under-20 tournament, securing their place at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the process.

For coach Raymond Mdaka, qualifying for the continental competition was the priority, with South Africa now set to defend the title they won previously.

“ To me, honestly, people might want the trophy, but the key was to qualify for AFCON,” Mdaka said. “Also, the team that we are playing against – make no mistakes – Zambia is a strong team. No wonder they are angry now. They don’t know what happened to them, but playing against such a strong team, obviously, we knew it’s going to be very difficult.”

The result came after a difficult opening 45 minutes in which Zambia’s Young Chipolopolo controlled the contest. Their aggression kept Amajita pinned inside their own half and South Africa struggled to impose themselves.

The match changed after the interval, however, as Amajita overturned Zambia’s advantage. Steven “Stevie G” Mendes scored twice from the penalty spot, while Oarabile “Guluva” Booysens also found the net before Emile Witboo completed the comeback with a spectacular fourth goal.

The win completed a demanding run for South Africa, who had also faced Angola during the tournament. Mdaka said those matches had demonstrated the character required from his squad.

“But credit to the boys. The Angola game, the Zambia game – honestly, we need players with character and players who are ready to go and play,” he added.

South Africa will now face hosts Mozambique in the final in Maputo tomorrow. Mdaka expects that match to present a different challenge from the semi-final against Zambia, with the contest likely to focus more on football than the physical battle that characterised the earlier game.

His approach against Zambia highlighted the importance of adapting to an opponent’s strengths, with the coach and his technical team finding a way to contain a side which had dominated the first half before South Africa’s second-half response.

Another notable decision was the absence of Milimo Nalumango, who remained on the bench. The Orlando Pirates defender had switched allegiance from Zambia to South Africa shortly before the camp, making his non-selection for the meeting with his former country a major talking point.

Mdaka and his staff had clearly considered the psychological dimension of the fixture in deciding how to manage Nalumango’s involvement, although the article does not include the coach’s explanation for leaving him out.