Mdaka takes Amajita to U20 Afcon – against all odds

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

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

It’s the first time SA qualify for the U-20 Afcon since finishing third at the 2019 edition in Niger, where they subsequently earned a spot at the World Cup finals in Poland the same year. Going into this regional youth tournament designed to be an Afcon qualifier, odds were stacked against Amajita as several key players weren’t released by their clubs.

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

Despite missing several impactful players, however, Mdaka still managed to put together a team that delivered the goods, against all odds.

En route to the semifinals, SA 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 tie. This means they’ve now scored 14 goals without leaking even a single goal.

Club Brugge’s Shandre Campbell and Ah Shene, alongside the Sundowns trio of Siyabonga Mabena, Kutlwano Lethlaku and Gomolemo Kekana are some of the players who’ve shone for SA in Matola.

In the final, billed for tomorrow, SA will face the winner of the second semifinal between old rivals Zimbabwe and Zambia who played later yesteray at the same venue.

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