The Burger King-sponsored South African u20 Men’s National Team (Amajita) won 2-0 in a practice match on Wednesday afternoon (22 February 2017).
The Burger King-sponsored South African u20 Men’s National Team (Amajita) won 2-0 in a practice match on Wednesday afternoon (22 February 2017).
The clash took place at the Dobsonville Stadium.
This was Amajita’s last practise match in the country before jetting off to Ndola, Zambia where they will take part in the 2017 CAF U20 African Cup of Nations tournament.
Head Coach Thabo Senong is happy with the performance of the players and believes that the team will put up a great fight in the AFCON.
“This was a great match. As usual, we always get a strong challenge against Orlando Pirates. I am happy that we have addressed the issues we had against Zambia and Mali. The boys defended set pieces very well. We managed to create and score goals, as well as maintain the same tempo in both halves. I believe that we are ready for our first match and that the level of confidence in the players is where we want it to be,” said Senong.
Amajita will travel to Zambia on Friday, 24 February and continue preparations for their Group B fixtures.
The South African’s will face Cameroon in their opening match on Monday, 27 February, followed by Senegal three days later (Thursday, 2 March 2017). The two clashes will be played at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Senong’s charges will then head to Lusaka for their final group stages match against Sudan on Sunday, 5 March 2017 at Heroes Stadium.
The top four nations will qualify for the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea, later this year (20 May to 11 June).
The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be the 21st edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men’s youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA.
Along with Japan and Mexico, South Korea becomes the third nation to have hosted all of FIFA Men’s international competitions, namely the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 2001 Confederations Cup and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The South Korean FA originally place a request of hosting the tournament away from the traditional June/July period, as it would clash with South Korea’s rainy season, as well as any possible national team selection were they to qualify for the Confederations Cup.