Mdaka takes Amajita to U-20 Afcon — against all odds

Coach Raymond Mdaka's SA Under-20s, despite missing a number of big-name top flight stars, have reached the final of the youth Cosafa Cup

Coach Raymond Mdaka’s Amajita have defied the odds by qualifying for next year’s Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), beating Angola 1-0 in the Cosafa U-20 Championship semifinals in Maputo, Mozambique on Thursday.

Cape Town City starlet Jody Ah Shene scored the all-important goal that secured Amajita a ticket to the youth Afcon, to be hosted by a yet-to-be confirmed country.

It is the first time South Africa have qualified for the U-20 Afcon since finishing third at the 2019 edition in Niger, where they earned a spot at the World Cup finals in Poland the same year. Going into this regional youth tournament that doubles as the Afcon qualifier, odds were stacked against Amajita as several key players were not released by their clubs.

Kaizer Chiefs’ Mfundo Vilakazi, Neo Rapoo of SuperSport United, Siviwe Nkwali of Cape Town Spurs and captain Asekho Tiwani of Mamelodi Sundowns were among the side’s influential players who were not freed by their teams for this competition.

Despite missing such big-name top flight stars, however, Mdaka still managed to put together a team that delivered the goods, against all odds.

En route to the semifinals, South Africa humiliated Malawi 5-0 in their group stage opener before drubbing Lesotho 6-0 in their second fixture. Mdaka’s boys beat Comoros 2-0 in their last Group C match. This means they’ve now scored 14 goals without conceding.

Club Brugge forward Shandre Campbell and Ah Shene, alongside the Sundowns trio of Siyabonga Mabena, Kutlwano Letlhaku and Gomolemo Kekana are some of the players who have shone for South Africa in Mozambique.

In the final on Saturday, South will face the winner of Thursday's later semifinal between old rivals Zimbabwe and Zambia .

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